Hermione Granger and the Potion of Moonlight
by Pangaea J
Summary: Brewing an illegal potion with an ex-death eater, keeping secrets from her closest friends— the seen and unseen scars are taking their toll. Hermione's return to Hogwarts is not at all what she planned and the daily prophets stories aren't helping.
1. Chapter 1 An owl in my living room

**Hermione Granger and the Potion of Moonlight**

**Authors note- This is a multi chapter story set post Wizarding war. Mostly cannon- with the exception of bringing a few people back from the dead. Ignoring the epilogue of Deathly Hallows.**

**This is a Dramione fic, but has some complications involving Sirius Black. If that isn't your thing you have been warned :) **

**I hope you enjoy the story, Happy reading! **

**Chapter one**

**An owl in my living room**

A large eagle owl glared into the living room of 12 Grimmauld Place. It's incessant tapping put a stop to Hermione's studying. Why were there so many distractions? All she wanted was half an hour without Sirius or Harry harassing her about going to the pub or asking what they should have for dinner.

She opened the window. The owl hopped inside onto the window sill, then with one great flap settled on the back of the ornate sofa. Hermione approached it cautiously, it was the biggest owl she had ever seen and did not look particularly friendly. She selected some owl treats off the mantle and exchanged them quickly for the letter. It hooted as it gently relinquished the message.

The letter was sealed with a beautiful red wax monogram. Initials DM. She groaned and rolled her eyes. Of course, who else would have such an ostentatious owl? Draco Malfoy— he had actually responded to her letter.

She sat down on the couch, contemplating not opening it. If it was good news, she could stop worrying and go back to studying in a good mood. However, if it were bad news, she knew she wouldn't be able to focus again. She turned the envelope over in her hand several times, admiring the quality of the paper and the lovely handwriting. Probably written by his house elf.

The owl suddenly hooted behind her making her jump in her seat. She felt it's large yellow eyes glaring at her. "I'm assuming you're waiting for a reply, Mr Owl?" she said. The owl creepily turned it's head all the way around to look out the window then all the way back, resuming its unblinking stare. "Okay…I think I'll just read the letter."

She opened the envelope, breaking the perfect seal and unfolded the letter, she couldn't help but smell the paper, fresh parchment and jasmine.

_Dear Granger,_

_I received your correspondence and regret to inform you that you are most certainly stuck with me for the potions project. I am aware you asked Professor Slughorn to swap partners, but as stated in the assignment instructions— all partnerships are final— bad luck for you._

_On a positive note, I have the perfect project for us. Your suggestion of doing an advanced Wolfsbane potion is admirable, however many Potions Masters have tried and failed at this. I don__'t think it is our best option for success, we, as the top students need to set an example by having an exemplary potion that is both innovative and flawless. _

_I have a potion in mind that could be beneficial to both of us, and I believe it to be revolutionary. I do not want to write the details in a letter so I shall await a meeting in person to discuss this further. _

_I hope you have had a pleasant summer._

_See you at school in a few days._

_Best regards_

_Draco Malfoy_

She re-read the letter twice. How could he have a potion better than advanced Wolfsbane? Probably because he doesn't want to be seen helping werewolves. That Malfoy family set of skewed morals— can't be seen helping the halfbreeds. She scoffed at the thought. She was surprised at his willingness to work with her. She thought the letter would go one of two ways— either him outright refusing to work with her and calling her a mudblood, or him dividing up the work, so they worked separately then collaborate the end. She certainly didn't expect outright co-operation. Maybe it would be different once she got to school. Perhaps his changing sides in the war had had some sort of magical, positive effect on him.

Her train of thought was broken as Sirius apparated into the room with a loud crack, followed by a series of curses as he knocked over a lamp and ungracefully stumbled onto the couch.

"You aren't meant to apparate when you've been drinking Sirius, especially when you came from the kitchen!" Hermione said, setting the lamp in its rightful position.

"I know, but it's more fun this way. I get to surprise you." Sirius replied as he poured himself a firewhiskey from the bottle into a glass conveniently located next to him.

"Why so serious? What's with the giant owl?" Sirius asked as he leaned back into the chair.

"It's from Malfoy," she sighed. "He wrote back to me. Looks like I'm stuck with him and he didn't like my project idea. Apparently, we have to do what he wants." Hermione slammed the letter onto the side table and folded her arms. The owl took a few side steps closer to her causing her to shuffle further across the couch. "I think he wants me to write back," she whispered.

"Let me read it." Sirius grabbed the letter and read it out loud in his best impression of Malfoy. It was terrible since he didn't actually know Malfoy at all. Hermione giggled, forgetting she was angry for a second. "Okay here's what we'll do— I'll write to McGonagall and tell her it is unacceptable for you to be forced to work with a Death Eater after everything you've been through. Especially after what happened at the Manor. Then I'll write to Malfoy and tell him where to shove his project." Sirius said, suddenly very determined. He stormed over to the writing desk and started hunting for a quill and parchment, opening draws at random.

"No Sirius, thank you for the offer, but I can look after myself just fine, I don't need you fighting my battles," Hermione said as she leaned over Sirius taking the quill from his hand and opened the correct draw to retrieve the parchment. She quickly scribbled a note, leaning on the desk next to Sirius. Sirius pretended to sulk before remembering his whiskey and returned to the sofa opposite the stare of the looming owl.

Hermione finished up the note and handed it to the owl along with a few extra treats. She had a strong sense to stay on the right side of this creature. The owl held up its wings as it hopped back to the windowsill, leaving a flurry of papers in its wake as it launched itself out the window.

Hermione scrambled to pick up the papers. As she sat up, she saw Sirius shaking his head at her. "You agreed to meet with him, didn't you?"

"Of course I did. He deserves a chance at least— everyone does. You never know, his idea might be a good one." Hermione said as she re-stacked her papers. Sirius moved to the other sofa to sit next to her, he smelled of fire whiskey and cologne.

"You shouldn't have to work with that scum, he shouldn't even be allowed back at school! As soon as he steps out of line tell me and I'll take care of him. Don't you worry." Sirius said. Hermione turned to face him, moving to sit cross-legged.

"I'm not scared of him Sirius. Honestly, you don't need to worry about me. When I'm back at school I can look after myself— like we agreed, we can go back to living separate lives," she said trying to catch his eye so he knew she meant it.

"I know, I know," he said, putting his arm around her pulling her closer, "Harry will have to look after me now. Too bad his cooking's shit," Sirius joked as he planted a kiss on the top of her head. Hermione smiled and looked up at him.

"You'll be just fine Sirius, and I'll find Crookshanks again and all will be well," she said optimistically. Hoping very much she would find that orange ball of fluff again. Sirius _accioed_ anther glass and the firewhiskey bottle over to their sofa. He poured her a small amount and topped his own up.

"Here's to you and an uneventful, boring school year filled with assignments and exams."

"Cheers to that!" Hermione said, very much hoping that would be the case.

"But you can always ask me for help you know?" Sirius said. "I do worry about you. If you feel a cruciatus attack coming on call me, send your Patronus and I'll be there. Or at least tell Ginny or someone else. I'd feel better if someone was there looking out for you."

"I'll tell Ginny," she said, wanting to change the subject. "Let's not worry about this now. I was meant to be studying before you, and that owl distracted me!"

"You've got all year to study. Drink with me before you leave me alone and abandoned."

Hermione rolled her eyes. "I'm sure you won't be alone for very long Sirius. You have a way of finding company." She realised she had a drink in her hand. "You're a terrible influence on me! I'm going to stop drinking when I go back to school, then maybe I'll get something done."

The rest of the afternoon was spent drinking and trying to pack Hermione's books and school supplies. There were several failed attempts at undetectable extension charms on her new bag. Sirius was no help at all. Near dinner time Harry arrived home with fish and chips, he was greeted by two enthusiastic, drunk housemates who were very hungry.

Hermione poured Harry some firewhiskey as they sat down at the large kitchen table to eat. Harry had been smiling non-stop since he arrived. Hermione was sure it wasn't due to her or Sirius.

"What's up Harry? You seem unusually chipper." Sirius said as he made a half sandwich with some hot chips.

"I broke up with Ginny," Harry said. Hermione and Sirius glanced at each other.

"Um— are you okay. I mean— I guess you are. You look really happy," Hermione said.

"It's for the best, she's going back to school, I've started Auror training. We'd never get to see each other, and I'm feeling pretty good about this. Free— you know?" Harry said.

"I guess this is a celebration then," Sirius said.

"Here's to a fresh start to all of us," Hermione said, raising her glass to toast the others.


	2. Chapter 2 The Proposal

**Chapter two**

**The Proposal**

It was only the second night back at school. The castle felt like a different place, so much had changed since Hermione was a student before. Everything looked the same, but she knew it wasn't. She looked around the elaborately decorated room trying to spot someone she actually wanted to talk to. The smell of flowers and sweet desserts was almost overwhelming. The place was too warm, and Hermione found that people were either being overly friendly or trying to suck up to her— usually wanting to hear about Harry Potter. She was sick of it, some people were actually nice and well-meaning, but she missed being herself, missed being able to talk to people without being harassed or interrupted.

People treated her as a celebrity since she had been back— a hero. She didn't feel like a hero. They had lost so many people that past year. It was a fresh reminder being back at Hogwarts and strange being there without Harry and Ron. She came back to school hoping to find a sense of normality, but she was lonelier than ever. Crookshanks wasn't there and her parents didn't know she existed. She fought back tears and focused on shoving tiny cakes into her mouth.

She wasn't even sure why she came to the stupid party. That was a lie, she did know why. Because Professor Slughorn had invited her and strongly hinted at her bringing Harry. Of course, Harry had refused as soon as she asked him, just as she suspected. But she still felt as though she had to attend.

The room was filled with important people. Many of Professor Slughorn's successful past students, as well as a few Ministry people, a few teachers and of course the selection of students he believed to have potential. She knew he told them all that Harry Potter would be there, at least it was entertaining watching him divert comments whenever someone enquired about Harry's whereabouts.

The thought of any more small talk made Hermione sick. She swiped a glass of champagne from a waiter and slipped into an alcove in the wall. Scrunching up the layers of her dress, she moulded the beautiful blue fabric around her into a comfy nest. Settling the glass next to her, she looked out the window across the familiar Black Lake and mountains. It seemed so quiet, so peaceful. There were no signs of the horrors that had occurred on the grounds less than six months before.

She half closed her eyes, resting back in her alcove nest. Sitting, thinking, hiding.

Unsure of how long she was had been there Hermione shook the foggy thoughts from her mind and considered returning to the party to joining the others, or more accurately of acquiring more champagne. Before she could build up the energy to move, a fresh glass of champagne appeared in front of her. She blinked at it, trying to work out if she was drunk or not.

"I didn't poison it if that's what you're thinking," Malfoy said, holding the glass out to her. She didn't move and was happy to determine that she wasn't drunk or imagining things. "Well, excuse me if I don't believe you," she replied, not accepting the glass.

"Come on Granger, we have to work together on the project, this is my truce offering."

She looked up, about to refuse him again before she saw the look in his eye. It wasn't malicious or evil. He almost seemed genuine. Fuck it, if she was going to start living her life she might as well start taking chances now. She accepted the glass.

"Thanks, Malfoy." She gave him a wary smile.

"So why are you hiding back here?"

"I'm not hiding, I just needed a break from the constant questioning and all of this—." She waved a hand at the room.

"Must be hard being famous and loved by all," he said sarcastically.

She glared at him, "It is hard, you have no idea. I didn't want to be famous or have people stalk me everywhere I go. There's nothing fun about it."

He held his hands up in defence. "Well, at least you have positive media coverage. I, on the other hand, have spent the summer hiding for entirely different reasons. Can I sit?" he asked, already hoisting himself onto the windowsill. Hermione pulled her dress closer so he didn't sit on it.

"Be my guest," she said coldly. "Why are you even back here and why are you acting like this?"

"Straight to it then, no small talk? Well if you must know I saw you sneak off here and wanted to see what you were up to and I'm not acting, this is me being my usual charming self," he said as a bottle of champagne appeared out of nowhere. Draco topped up his own glass then added a dash to Hermione's. She took a sip, eyes narrowed. "I mean at school, not here. Shouldn't you be in Azkaban with your family," she said realising that sounded meaner than intended.

Draco didn't appear phased, "You know very well that I wasn't charged with anything and was given a chance to redeem myself by going back to school." He took a sip of his drink and looked at Hermione. "I saw you at the trials, I know you went to all of them."

Dammit. She assumed he wouldn't have noticed her. "Yes, well I guess I didn't expect to see you follow through."

"Ye of little faith. I no longer want to follow in my families footsteps, and the school let me come back here on the conditions that I don't put a single toe out of line. The reality is I need my Newts. Although the chances of me ever being hired for anything after school are pretty slim, I've decided to at least try. You, my dear, are an important part in my plan," he said confidently, but Hermione noticed his fingers squeezing the life out of his glass.

She shifted in her seat, bunching her dress closer onto her lap. "I have no desire to be part of your plans, and I haven't forgotten how you treated me in the past."

"I'll just have to prove it to you then," he said with a hint of a smile.

"Well, you could start by apologising for called me a mudblood and for making my friends lives a living hell. They would kill me for talking to you right now you now— not your biggest fans." She downed half her glass of champagne, the heat rising under her skin.

"I could say the same to you. I recall you, on separate occasions slapping me and violently punching me in the face without apology."

She took a long breath. "Those were justified— you were acting like a prat, someone had to do it." She finished her drink and locked eyes with him. To her surprise, she found a bemused smile on his face.

"So how about this truce then?" he said refilling both their glasses. Not sure if it was the tipsy feeling washing over her or if she actually believed Draco's plight, whatever it was in that moment of weakness made her agree to the truce. Though, she admitted to herself it was purely out of curiosity, not at all from kindness.

"Truce," she raised her glass to clink with his. He nodded and they drank in unison. "So tell me about this project idea that is so wonderful that made mine unworthy?" she asked.

"That, my dear, is best saved for another day. However, I can tell you that it will be most advantageous for both of us," he said, leaning back against the window.

"It better be," she said inching off the windowsill to hop down. She held the wall to steady herself. "Meet me tomorrow with your proposal, in the library after dinner. It better not be anything illegal," she added.

"Trust me, you'll like it," he said. He held out his arm as if to stop her falling but didn't touch her. She stabilised herself and smoothed out her dress.

Her heart raced as he spoke, his direct eye contact made her uncomfortable, though she wanted to hear more. Now definitely wasn't the right time. Way too much champagne and not enough food was not a good thing, and she felt the need to get home before something bad happened. She didn't take any chances these days, something bad always happened. She shuddered, thinking back over the past summer. Like everyone else recovering from the war, she put on a brave front, but it was a different story behind closed doors. She was barely holding herself together, lying and keeping secrets from her friends. Coming back to Hogwarts was her fresh start, and she was determined to make it work.

"I better like it, or we're doing my potion," she said. Draco looked at her quizzically, as if he noticed her change in thoughts. Did he know legilimency? She really hoped not. Through her growing tipsiness, she threw up a weak occlumency shield, at least that would keep her thoughts to herself, though she suspected it was her face that gave it away. She attempted a smile.

"Goodnight Malfoy. Talk to you tomorrow," she said politely and brushed past him. "Night, Hermione," he said as she walked by.

Not looking back, she crept around the outside of the party and found her way back to her room all the time wondering what Malfoy had in mind for her.

* * *

Hermione was eating dinner when a familiar giant owl swooped low across the table in front of her, hooted loudly and dropped a letter in a bowl of steamed broccoli. She saw Malfoy across the room at the Slytherin table eating his dinner, he took no notice of his owl. She continued to watch him. She caught it— a rapid glance in her direction. Their eyes met for a split second, he raised his eyebrows slightly and went back to eating.

Ginny, Luna and Neville appeared stunned by the appearance of the owl. It was uncommonly large, and mail never came at dinner time. She wiped bits of broccoli off the letter and ignoring her friends questions, she read the note expecting nothing good.

There was one sentence. _Meet me at the astronomy tower after dinner._ She recognised the handwriting and obviously the owl, though there was no signature. Ginny plucked the note from Hermione's hand and read it.

"Who wants to meet you after dinner? Why the owl? Who's owl?— Do you have a secret lover you aren't telling me about Hermione!" Ginny said rapidly.

Hermione sighed. "No, most certainly not. It's Malfoy. We need to discuss our project and planned to meet in the library. I have no idea why he wants to meet in the astronomy tower." Hermione said.

"It's a bit sick if you ask me," Neville said with a noticeable shudder.

"Maybe he wants to scare you and reminisce about Dumbledore's death! You shouldn't go, he's dangerous," Ginny said.

Hermione rolled her eyes, "You're far too dramatic, Ginny. I'm not scared of Malfoy and he probably just wants to talk away from nosey students. If you haven't noticed, it's rather hard for me to be alone anywhere anymore."

"It does seem like an odd place to meet though," Neville said, concern showing in his eyes.

"It's probably because the moonlight will help you, tonight will be a lovely night for moonrays," Luna chimed in.

"I'm sure it will be Luna. Thanks for the concern guys but I'll be fine. I better get going I need to get my potions notes." Hermione said as she ate a last mouthful of roast potato.

* * *

The stairs to the Astronomy tower seemed darker than usual, the stone walls cold and oppressive. The air had a slight chill to it mixed with the smell of changing seasons. Hermione was out of breath as she reached the top. Looking around, she didn't see Malfoy. A shiver ran through her. She wrapped her robes closer around her.

"You actually came up here," a voice startled her from behind.

"Of course I did, we need to get our project started," Hermione said.

"I half expected you to storm over to my table at dinner and yell at me for changing plans. I know how much you love the library," Malfoy said. He dumped his bag against the stone wall and sat on the ledge.

Hermione walked over but remained standing, well aware of the long drop on the other side of the ledge, she preferred the safety of solid ground. "Sorry to disappoint you. I figured you were avoiding people— though this is a strange place to meet. The last place I would expect you to pick. My friends think you want to throw me off the tower," she said.

"Well, that would be a bit obvious, wouldn't it?" he replied.

"Yes, I thought you'd be more creative than that if you wanted to get rid of me."

He chuckled, "You're right about that. But I don't plan on killing you, so you can stop worrying about that for now, we have a project that needs doing."

"Good to hear, a great comfort to know I won't be murdered tonight at least," she said sarcastically. She moved her bag next to Malfoy's and sat next to it, leaning against the cold stone. She pulled out her potions notes and a notebook, the moonlight softly lighting the pages. "So what's your genius plan for this potion?"

"I'm aware that you might not agree at first, but hear me out," he said. Suspecting she wasn't going to like his idea, Hermione nodded while giving him a questioning look.

"As you know I was there when you were tortured by Bellatrix," he said. An involuntary shiver jolted down her spine and into her limbs. Not what she expected to hear. He continued, "It was horrific. No one loved the Cruciatus more than my Aunt." His cold eyes drilled into her.

Hermione glared at him, hatred flooded her body. She could feel it crawling under her skin. Why would he bring this up?

"I'm not saying this to be a dick. I'm sorry to bring up the memory, I truly am. But this could be the key to making my potion work— our potion. I bet you have recurrences of the cruciatus, right? Relapses, attacks, gripping nerve pain, muscle pain, spasms, loss of function in your hands, headaches, nightmares, insomnia. Right?"

She looked down at her shaking hands then glared at him. All of it was true. She nodded.

"And there isn't a cure. Only short term quick fixes like pain reliever potions, alcohol and Dreamless Sleep. Nothing permanent."

"Yes I know all this Malfoy, what's your point. To know your Aunt did such a thorough job with me? I'm sure Dark Lord would be proud," she said, squeezing the quill she was holding so tightly it bent.

"Of course not. Seeing her do that to you was the moment I decided I wanted nothing to do with that group of lunatics. I wish I could have helped you—." He paused, he actually sounded sincere. Hermione knew better than to buy into his performance and remained silent. "I want to create a cure for the Cruciatus after effects. Put a stop to the relapses, the attacks. Give people back normal lives. I've already worked out the formula, but I need your help to do the rest. No one else from this pack of idiot students has the brains do this."

Hermione blinked a took a moment to comprehend what he was saying. "Wait— you actually want to help people? Why?"

"Well now that you mention it, it's not really to help other people— more to help myself." He shrugged. "But if you look at the big picture it does help other people as well…"

"You had the Cruciatus curse performed on you?" Hermione asked.

"Yes, it was a rather common punishment for Death Eaters I'm sure you wouldn't be surprised to hear. Lucky my Father wasn't particularly good at it." He laughed.

Hermione didn't find it particularly funny, she was stunned and felt a little sick at the realisation. Of course he had the curse performed on him, she was naive not to have thought about it before, but it made sense. Feeling slightly more sympathetic towards Malfoy, she quietly listened to the remainder of his plan. He had done years of research on the subject and put a lot of effort into the development of the potion recipe. She knew he was smart but apparently she had underestimated him. It actually sounded like a viable project. Granted, they would have a lot of work to do, but she was starting to see the benefits not only to her Newts but to her quality of life if it actually worked.

"Okay, now for the downside," Malfoy said, just as she felt like she could get on board. "We have a week or so for you to think about this before we make any decisions, but I have to make sure you have all the information up front, so you don't throw me under a stampede of angry centaurs later," he said, his eyes locking on hers. "Some of the ingredients are hard to get, and we might have to be a bit creative in the way we get them. Also, as you know, it takes years to get this sort of thing to human trials, and there are billions of laws preventing the development of new potions— it's all very archaic." Hermione rolled her eyes at his exaggerations, but knew it was quite true. "So trials will be very low key, we need to know this works before we tell anyone else about it. Got it?" he said, his look was softer then before, almost as if he were pleading with her, but of course he wasn't— this was Malfoy, he knew how to get things he wanted.

"I get what you're saying Malfoy. Get the ingredients list to me and we can make a final decision next week. I need to have a think about all this and see if it can actually work. As much as I want to believe you, there must be a reason no one has made this before," she said, trying to be realistic.

"I'll get you the list. You want to do this— trust me," Draco said as he got off the ledge and picked up his bag.

Hermione remained sitting on the floor, realising she hadn't written any notes. Without a goodbye Malfoy left down the dark stairs. Hermione leaned back against the rough stone and let out a long breath. The bright moon caught her eye as she tilted her head back. She hoped the moon, and its moonrays were a good sign—whatever moonrays were. For all she knew Luna meant stingrays that came from the moon, she chuckled at the thought but found herself looking for them. She realised she really needed some sleep.

"You can't expect me to get these ingredients Malfoy, they're pretty much all illegal!" Hermione said as she read through the list he placed on top of her essay.

"Sure you can Granger, people will give you anything right now, you're the golden girl," Malfoy replied as he leaned back in his chair.

* * *

She sighed, looking around the library to make sure they weren't talking too loud. Using the feathery end of her quill, she scrolled down the list of rare ingredients still unsure about the project, "Well these two I can definitely get from home, I know Sirius has a stash in the top of the pantry, as for the others I know we can buy some at Knockturn Alley, I'm sure you know someone there who can help." She nibbled at her fingernail. "I think Neville can help us get the rest." She looked up locking eyes with Malfoy.

He brushed his hands through his hair then folded his arms across his chest, leaning further back in the chair, "Sounds like I've got you on board. I didn't think you'd come around so quickly. Not even questioning my ingredients list." He tilted his head to the side, "You live with Sirius Black?" he said, eyebrows raised.

"I'm not on board yet and yes, if you must know I live with Sirius and Harry. I want to do well in this project as much as you do Malfoy, but this is pretty risky."

She read over the list one more time, eyes focused in concentration. Her head snapped up. "I can see why you chose these ingredients. The Dong duai root can repel curses, purify the blood and relieve nerve pain, mystic ginseng to re-balance the body, crampbark to stop muscle spasms, boneset could help with the muscle pain and fever caused by the side effects, the rest are basic ingredients in standard pain potions. The moon-flower seeds are the main problem, they will provide protection to the body from future relapses and reduce nausea and sickness from the combination of ingredients and break dark curses, then with the valerian root, it will induce sleep at the end. I see why you used the moon-flower seeds as the main ingredient but it's so dangerous if we get the dosage wrong, not to mention mixing it with all these other things, and actually acquiring the seeds."

"I'm not stupid, I've been planning and calculating the correct amounts in this for years. It's just a matter of fine-tuning in the test potions," he said, waving a hand at her comments.

She blinked. "I must say I'm quite impressed, it's a good thing you're trying to do. I guess you were Snape's favourite for a good reason after all." She slumped in her chair.

"You doubted me Granger?" he smirked. "Well, it's not entirely good, more selfish than anything actually. The Cruciatus after-effects are ruining my life," he said, this time he avoided her eye contact.

Hermione rubbed her elbows subconsciously and scrunched up her forehead.

"I guess you know what I mean," he said, nodding at her elbows.

Realising he might be one of the only people who actually understood she decided to talk about it openly for the first time, "No one understands how bad it can be, sometimes it's like all my joints are on fire at once and my muscles get locked in these spasms I can't control. It's worst when I wake up from nightmares, I don't think it's getting any better." She let out a sign and fiddled with the quill, "I've seen several healers, and they all tell me that the only thing that will fix it is time. They don't understand how bad it is." She swallowed and focused intently on the page in front of her. Surprised at herself for telling Malfoy of all people.

"I wouldn't bother seeing healers, they're all useless when it comes to the Cruciatus. So, the plan is we tell Slughorn we are working on a variation of the basic pain-reducing potion, since we'll be using all the base ingredients from it anyway. We are going to enhance it with "deep sleep healing properties", that's the cover story. Can you handle that?" he raised his eyebrows at her.

"Yes Malfoy, of course I can handle it, but I'm not sure if it's a good idea," she said, glaring at him. "It's a dangerous combination of ingredients, we could get in a lot of trouble if this goes wrong."

"It isn't going to go wrong. We will present a perfect potion and only then will they see the ingredients list and we won't be able to get in trouble at that point."

"How are we going to test this anyway," she said, tilting her head to the side.

Malfoy tapped his nose. "You let me worry about that love."

Before she could say anything, he scraped his chair back and stood up abruptly. "You keep that list, get back to me when you know how to get everything." He was out the door.

Hermione looked down at the list shaking her head. Madness. She didn't even agree to it yet. She let out a long breath and started packing up her unfinished essay. A long sleep was what she needed. Hopefully one without horrible nightmares.

* * *

**Authors note- thanks so much to those following my story so far. I'll try update weekly, I have the whole thing written but will try edit a chapter a week to put up. This is my first fanfiction and I don't have a beta so don't be too hard on me! I'm happy to have mistakes pointed out to me and would love to hear comments on what you think of the story. **

**Happy reading! **


	3. Chapter 3 The Room

**Chapter Three**

**The Room**

Hermione's eyes could barely stay open as she shoved the heavy door to enter her room. She let out a breath of relief as she spied her puffy four poster bed. She placed her books and bag on her desk before flopping face first onto the duvet. Lying perfectly still for several minutes.

She was grateful that McGonagall had given the repeating seventh year students private rooms. They were located in a small wing off an insignificant corridor on the 4th floor. The war had left the area untouched and had been nicely redecorated over the summer to allow for the overflow of students. Hermione's room still felt Gryffindorish, but cosier and more to her own taste, the only thing missing was a fluffy orange ball that used to sleep at the end of her bed.

Forcing herself up she rubbed her eyes, she had one more thing to research, then sleep, she told herself. She shrugged out of her uniform swapping it for a baggy T-shirt, clean underwear and a pair of fluffy Gryffindor socks. She waved her wand and felt an involuntary shiver as the cold air warmed around her. She narrowed her eyes to the high border of bookshelves, searching for a particular book, she spotted it and levitated it down —_ A Collection of Unusual Creatures_.

Something Hagrid said the day before got Hermione thinking. He mentioned a particularly rude Jarvey that was shacked up in a bush on the edge of the forest. Having never seen a Jarvey first hand, Hermione was intrigued. The giant ferret-like creatures were well known for their constant stream of nonsensical babble, but there were a few recorded instances where Jarveys had given useful information.

She placed the book on her desk and flicked to the section on Jarveys.

_The Jarvey_

_If the Jarvey deems the recipient worthy, it will place the desired information within its unrestrained ramblings, usually in the form of a cryptic riddle. Accompanying this will be a scattering of insults and rude insinuations, often referring to one__'s mother. Though many have attempted to see logic in the uninhibited speech of the Jarvey, it is most likely leading you on to allow for further opportunity to insult you. Bribery is your greatest tool if you wish to gain any cooperation from a Jarvey, a sack of gnomes as a gift, or a stream of compliments will aid you. _

She sighed and closed the book. That didn't sound overly helpful. If Crookshanks was in the Forbidden Forest, she would find him, even if that meant talking to a crazed Jarvey. She neatly stacked the pile of books and walked the few steps to her bed. She pulled back the covers and nestled into the soft sheets. Maybe Hagrid would give her some gnomes. She giggled at the thought of a giant ferret helping find her cat; it didn't seem like the sanest of plans, but thinking back, it wouldn't even make the top ten.

With giant ferrets floating around in her mind, her thoughts turned to Malfoy — how strange that she ended up with Draco Malfoy as a potions partner. What was he doing back there? And why was he acting so normal? Well, normal for him, she supposed. She knew he was coming back to school, but it had still been a surprise to see him in the small lineup of returning students two weeks before.

Hermione restlessly turned from side to side, unable to get comfortable. The soft glow from her lamp was blinding her through closed eyelids, but she didn't dare turn it off — nothing was worse than the darkness — well actually, she could think of a few things. She told her brain to shut up.

Her joints ached and she couldn't stop thinking, she imagined having a superpower to make yourself go to sleep whenever you wanted. Screw flying, or time travel, sleep control would be the ultimate power.

She was wide awake, despite her exhaustion. She already missed Harry, Ron, and Sirius. She had Ginny, Luna, and Neville at Hogwarts and had been making new friends. But it wasn't the same. Theo Nott was the person she'd spent the most time with in the first two weeks after he sat next to her in Arithmancy. As the only person taking all the same classes as her, he had so far proven able to keep up with her, a nice change from people borrowing her notes and asking for help. She unexpectedly found herself enjoying his company.

She shut her eyes for the thousandth time, cold fingers of anxiety crept over her body. She swallowed back the sour taste in her throat. The anticipation of nightmares grew, followed by panic— the same every night. For once she hoped the exhaustion would just drag her into sleep. Give her a break. She'd tried breathing exercises, calming music, white noise, counting sheep, none of it worked.

She reached across the nightstand for the alluring curved bottle. The healers had warned her to stop taking it, prolonged use would only make sleeping worse in the long run and there were the side effects. But she needed it. She assured herself she was too strong to become addicted.

A few drops of the Dreamless Sleep and the familiar floating sensation trickled through her limbs, she faded into its seductive shadows.

* * *

The next week dragged by, it was only the third week of classes and Hermione was already feeling the draining effects of her vigorous study schedule. All she wanted was a weekend to sleep and to ignore the fact that it was her birthday the next day. She forced herself to keep blinking, trying to remain upright through the Ancient Runes morning class. A sharp elbow dug into her side, her reaction sent her arm flying out, the smell of fresh ink washed over her. She glared at Theo sitting next to her.

"Dammit. _Scourgify,_" she whispered, cleaning the spill within the blink of an eye. She raised her eyebrows at Theo, trying to ignore the shaking in her hands.

"You were falling asleep," he whispered with a grin.

She ran a hand through her hair and let out a breath. "This is a waste of time, we already know this stuff," she whispered.

"You just want to get out of here so you can meet up with Draco," he teased.

"Yes, because I love spending time with Malfoy so much," she said, rolling her eyes.

She struggled to keep her eyes open and focus for the rest of the lecture, her mind kept drifting back to the potions project. Was it really a good idea to be getting into something so risky? Especially with someone like Malfoy. She weighed it up in her mind countless times, wrote pros and cons lists and even confided in Theo, she didn't dare tell Ginny. Though Ginny and Harry had broken up, they remained close friends and Ginny would tell Harry for sure or try to talk Hermione out of it.

She concluded that it was worth it, the benefits to those suffering from the Cruciatus after-effects would have their lives changed, not to mention her own. She was at the point of doing anything to get a good nights sleep and stop the constant headaches and pain.

She sent Malfoy a note two days before at breakfast using his owl — who she found out from his perch, was named Mars. She had spotted Mars in the owlery when she was sending a letter to Harry using a school owl. She had cautiously greeted the intimidating bird and found that he remembered her and was quite cooperative — she also had a pocketful of owl treats, that always helped. In that moment, she made her mind up and decided to message Malfoy — it would be funny to see him receive a message from his own owl.

At breakfast that day, she kept a watchful eye on Malfoy at the Slytherin table. Her observations revealed that he was a very slow eater and didn't talk to anyone around him. She didn't take him as a morning person. As the owls descended upon breakfast, Hermione watched in amusement. Mars swooped through the centre of the flock. The other owls knew to clear the road.

Not expecting a message, Malfoy almost looked startled when the small note fell into his coffee. With narrowed eyes he looked around his table before he shook it off and read the content.

Her simple message: _I__'m in. HG_.

A sly smile subtly lifted a corner of his mouth. His eyes drifted to the Gryffindor table. Hermione remembered the shiver that ran up her spine when his eyes locked on hers, she bit her lip then forced a weak smile. He gave a nod in recognition; his face gave away nothing, though his eyes seemed brighter. Why did he always look like he was scheming?

Hermione snapped out of her thoughts by chairs scrapping back and books packing up. She quickly stuffed everything in her bag and followed the trail of students out the door. Instead of following the pack, she turned towards the dungeons. She felt Theo fall into step beside her.

"Are you stalking me?" she asked. As they turned into a corridor free of students.

"Just thought I'd be a gentleman and make sure you reached your destination safely," he said.

"Yes, I'm sure you are," she replied. Secretly happy he was there.

"I'm heading that way anyway, going to visit the old Slytherin stomping ground, make sure they're doing okay without me." He puffed out his chest and adjusted his backpack. "Plus, I wanted to see you working with Draco for myself."

They passed through a few corridors and down several flights of stairs, chatting about classes as they walked. Along the way portraits clapped and called out to Hermione, thanking her for her part in the war as she went by, she answered with polite smiles and small waves.

She opened the door to the potions lab and followed the stone steps down. She was still talking to Theo as they entered the room. "It's not like we chose to work together you know."

"Sure you didn't," Theo said, his eyes locked on Draco as they reached the bench.

"Theo. I don't recall you being invited to this." Draco said as he set down a tray of flasks and bottles.

"I'm not staying, just wanted to say hello. You know, make sure my two friends would be nice to each other." He leaned on the bench, still watching Draco. Hermione picked up on the odd vibe between the two friends.

"So you two are friends now?" Draco said, raising his eyebrows at Theo as he scanned his equipment list and started counting the flasks.

"Yes, so be nice," Theo said.

Draco looked over at Hermione unpacking her notes, she shrugged. "Well, thanks for the pep talk Theo, you can go now," Draco said as he patted Theo firmly on the back.

Theo pushed back from the bench. "Righto, well have fun you two." He waved at Hermione and pointed his fingers in a V-shape at his eyes, then at Draco's.

"Bye, Theo," Hermione called after him. She pulled up the stool next to Draco and put her notes out next to his.

"Since when are you friends with Theo," he asked.

"Since this week, I guess," Hermione said. "He's nice, and I can have intelligent conversations with him, unlike other people I know."

"I assume you're referring to those idiot boyfriends of yours. I, on the other hand, was top of our class last year — before it all went to shit."

"Yes, well that isn't saying much is it. For one, I wasn't there, and two, the school was run by Death Eaters, of course you were top of the class," Hermione said bluntly.

"You don't know what you're talking about," he snapped. "It wasn't easy being here. I didn't want any of that to happen."

She turned around to glare at him. "I'm not saying it's your fault Malfoy. Just stating the facts. Let's get this over with."

"Fine."

They went through their plans for getting ingredients and brewing the potion. Slughorn had given them a private workshop near the potions lab. They collected all the equipment and base ingredients from the storeroom and started carting everything the short way down the hall to their new workspace.

Hermione balanced a box on her hip as she pushed open the door. House-elves must have recently cleaned the small workshop; the large workbench in the middle of the room was spotless and smelled pleasantly of pine tree. Empty shelves and a bench with a sink filled the back wall; a small window let in an eerie green glow from high in the back of the room. Rippling waves of light danced across the stone floor, the Black Lake hovering just outside.

She placed the box on a bench seat against the wall and started unloading it. She pulled out flasks, a set of brass scales, vials, knives of different metals and a range of measuring instruments. As she began arranging them, Malfoy barged through the door with the ingredients box, he placed it next to Hermione, and she silently began removing its contents. He left without saying anything. She examined the vial of powdered moonstone, unsure how Malfoy had managed to get it. The bag of valerian root Neville had given her was another vital ingredient she had been worried about; luckily he'd been working on new methods of growing it over summer and was happy to give Hermione some of his samples.

Malfoy returned with both their bags over his shoulder, his arms full of their notes. He slammed the pile of papers onto the table before taking out several books from his bag.

"Right, let's get this organised," she said as she skimmed over the first page of instructions, "I'll get all the ingredients put away, and you can get the equipment set up. Then we can get the valerian root prepared." Hermione ordered.

"This is my experiment. I'm in charge," Malfoy said.

"Actually, it's _our_ experiment, and it doesn't matter who's in charge, let's just get it done so we can get out of here," she said as she started lining up ingredients.

"Fine, but I'm in charge."

A rush of frustration and anger overwhelmed Hermione, before she knew it she had emptied a jar of lace fly wings on Draco's head. She took a step back in shock. They became nicely stuck in his hair. Hermione gripped her wand, unsure how he would react.

"Real mature Granger," he said as his hands scrambled through his hair, trying to get them out.

In hindsight, she shouldn't have done that, knowing how he might have reacted. She stood there, body tense, wand clasped tightly in her hand.

"Get them out and I won't hex you," he said calmly. She didn't move, unsure whether to trust him.

"I'm sorry," she said, suddenly feeling bad for her impulsive outburst. "I've got a bit of a short fuse these days." She cautiously moved closer to him.

"At least you didn't punch me this time," he said, as he transfigured a tray into a mirror, unsuccessfully trying to extract the tiny wings.

"Get these out and I'll forget this happened, I won't even try to get you back by poisoning your morning coffee," he said seriously, but saw in his eyes he was kidding.

She decided it was safe, he would have hexed her by now if he was going to. Hermione swirled the wings out of his hair, surprised he trusted her enough to point a wand at his head. She wondered if he knew she religiously drank coffee in the morning, or if it was a lucky guess.

Getting the last of the wings out, Hermione took a few steps back and watched Malfoy cautiously.

"We need to work together, but you try anything like that again and you'll regret it. I'm not here to play games," he said in a darker tone, he turned back to his work.

Hermione swallowed, she made a mental note to try to think before she acted. There was something about him that stopped her thinking straight, a chaos that clouded her rational mind. She thought back to the time she'd punched him in the face, something she definitely shouldn't do again. He had been through a lot, as they all had, the difference was he now had Death Eater training. She warned herself to be more careful.

Focusing back on the task, they set everything up and began peeling and slicing the valerian root. It was a tedious job involving precision cutting and accurate measuring without magic.

The next two hours passed in focused but comfortable silence. Sweaty and covered in sticky plant juice, Hermione pushed her hair back with her elbow. Finally finished all the cutting, the last step was to steep the mound of beautifully cut roots in vinegar and dragon's blood, then leave it for the next two months.

Once finished, they argued about how to acquire the remaining ingredients. Hermione clenched her hands into fists, pressing them into the table she tried not to let Malfoy get to her, they finally agreed on a plan. They would get the easier things the next weekend in Hogsmeade, Draco also wanted to get the slightly illegal moonflower seeds at the same time, believing his smooth talking and a bit of incentive to the shopkeeper might work . The harder ones would have to wait until their Christmas break, Knockturn Alley was the backup plan for moonflower seeds, and pilfering some of Sirius's supplies for a few rarer items. That gave them a few months to prepare all the ingredients and start brewing in the New Year.

They cleaned up the last of the valerian root mess, Hermione was humming to herself as she worked, happy with their progress. She felt Malfoy's eyes on her.

"What?" she asked.

"Nothing, you just seem happy."

"I am happy, I think this might work," she said as she wiped up a gooey pile of dragon's blood.

"It will work. I've been over every aspect. It's just a few dosages we will need to tweak at the end."

"How did you come up with this Malfoy? It's well above our potions training; this is masters level."

She noticed a shift in his stance. "Snape helped me. I went to him with my idea and all the research, then he helped me refine the process." He focused intently on scrubbing the same bit of the bench that now appeared spotless.

A tingling spread through her chest, thoughts flicked to her parents. "There must be so much we didn't know about him. I'm sorry he's gone." She looked up at Malfoy and reached over to put a hand lightly on his arm, he tensed at the touch.

"Same here, at least he can't yell at us if we fuck this up." He gave a weak laugh and pulled his arm away.

"Don't worry, we won't," she said confidently.

He looked at her, her eyes locked with his, the length of the stare made her uncomfortable. She wondered what he was thinking; it was impossible to tell. He looked away. Her heart was racing as stacked her notes and bent down to pick up her bag.

"I guess this means you're fully on board with the project then?" Malfoy said.

"I guess so. But if this goes wrong, I'm taking you down with me," Hermione said as she turned to walk out.

Not waiting to hear a response, Hermione waved goodbye over her shoulder and stepped out into the cold corridor.

Suddenly realising how hungry she was, she checked her watch. They had missed lunch. She decided to risk being fed by Hagrid, she'd been putting off visiting him and figured now was a good a time as any. She had planned to see him during her free period that afternoon; she just wasn't sure if she wanted to be a guinea pig in his latest experimental baking.

She turned off toward the castle courtyard. Seeing Hagrid was a crucial part of her plan. She hurried down the windy stairs overgrown with grass and wildflowers, worrying about the next day and how she would forget the fact that she would turn nineteen. She wished she could ignore her birthday.

* * *

**Thank you to everyone following this story and to Summer78 for my first review, that made by day. I'll post another chapter in a few days, it's a bit of a short one.**


	4. Chapter 4 The Jarvey said what?

**Chapter Four**

**The Jarvey said what?**

Hermione groaned as she woke up. Loud knocking was coming from her bedroom door, not in her dream as she had hoped.

"Hold your horses, I'm coming!" she yelled, as she reached for the dressing gown draped across the end of her bed. The fluffy warmth folded around her as she slid out of bed onto the cold stone floor. She really needed a rug.

Reluctantly she creaked the door open a crack, coming eye to eye with an enthusiastic and wide awake redhead.

"Happy Birthday! Let me in Hermione! I've got presents," Ginny said, trying to squeeze her face through the door.

"Is it just you?" Hermione asked, peering suspiciously over Ginny's head. Ready for the possibility of a surprise party worth of people.

"Just me." Ginny waved a red and gold present in Hermione's face through the crack. "I also have birthday muffins that I stole from breakfast."

"Fine, but I'm not getting dressed," Hermione answered. She opened the door letting Ginny in and scanned the hallway for further threats.

"Don't be so paranoid," Ginny said, laughing as she bounced onto the bed.

"You can never be too prepared Ginny, especially in these times."

"The war is over! We don't need to do that anymore. You need to start living. Here. It's not every day you turn nineteen!" Ginny held out the large red and gold wrapped present at arms length, then patted the bed beside her to get Hermione to sit down.

Hermione crawled past Ginny and back into bed, tucking the covers close around her then reactivated the warming charm on the room. Ginny scooted across to sit cross-legged right in front of Hermione, handed her the present, then dragged a large bag across the bed to rest next to them.

"You weren't at breakfast, so I had to fight with the owls to leave me all your presents." Ginny's eyes were bright, with a huge smile plastered across her face.

"Thanks, Ginny, I didn't want to deal with everyone on my birthday, I thought sleeping in, and hiding would be more fun," she said apologetically. She started undoing the multiple gold ribbons enveloping the pretty box.

"You're so weird, you should be celebrating! We could have a party tonight! I could arrange it in the Gryffindor common room if you like?" Ginny said, unable to sit still.

"Thanks for the offer, but I kind of already have plans for the day, and I don't think I'm in much of a celebrating mood. I haven't been sleeping that well so thought I'd take it easy tonight." She glanced at the empty vial on her bedside table and continued to unwrap the present. How many layers were on this thing?

"If you say so, but you can change your mind you know," Ginny said, leaning in closer with her hands on her chin, a determined look in her eye.

"I'll let you know," Hermione said, trying to sound noncommittal.

She made her way through the layers of wrapping paper and read the small card from Mr and Mrs Weasley. She eased the lid off the box, expecting to find some variation of a birthday sweater. Instead her eyes were drawn to the glint of silver and gold. Not jewellery, but a row of the most beautiful quills Hermione had ever seen. Their metallic feathers radiated light as they sat perfectly aligned on a velvet cushion

"Ginny, this is amazing, it must have cost a fortune, I can't accept this," she stroked the spine of a quill, then gently picked it up.

"It's okay, Mum paid for it with the reward money for Bellatrix, she's more than happy to spend it on other people. Open the next one!" she began bouncing on the bed and threw the next present at Hermione., it bounced off her shoulder and landed on a pillow.

"I'll have to thank her in person, they're so beautiful," she ran her finger along the feather, it was soft despite its hard metal look.

Hermione slowly made her way through the pile of presents. Ginny gave her a newly developed hair taming potion, Harry's was a journal and a set of alert-charmed post-it notes, Sirius had sent her an extensive cocktail making kit complete with a large self-chilling bottle of high-end vodka, she chuckled when she saw that one. Ginny swore it was a sign to have a party, though was quickly quietened by a look from Hermione.

The remaining presents were several boxes of sweets from the Gryffindor crew, Luna had given her a handmade charm bracelet woven out of glowing threads. The strangest gift was from Ron, a heart-shaped locket with, what appeared to be tiny diamonds, though she doubted that part.

"Why did Ron give me this? I made it pretty clear we weren't dating anymore, I thought he got the message this time," Hermione said as she swirled all the wrapping paper into the air and vortexing it into a compressed ball before letting it drop to the floor.

"He's been acting all weird and mopey, I think he misses you." Ginny sighed, "he's such a loser, you can do way better."

Hermione inspected the locket before packing it away back in its box. "Don't be too hard on him Gin, he just needs to find someone more suited to him. How are you doing without Harry?" Hermione asked as she stacked up her presents.

Ginny started fiddling with the corner of a blanket, "Actually pretty good. In light of everything we've been through I decided life is too short so I might as well have fun. If we were still dating we wouldn't see each other most of the year and it would be miserable. I wasn't sure at first, but I actually really like being friends with Harry." She looked up and smiled, "Honestly, I'm fine."

"Good to hear. Now how about you show me how this hair stuff works," Hermione said as she held up the bottle trying to read the tiny instructions.

Ginny grabbed it off her, "Hermione, you don't need to read the instructions, I'll show you." She tried to pull Hermione out of bed.

They hung out in Hermione's room for a while, Ginny showed her how to use the new hair potion. To Hermione's surprise, she rather liked the result. Her hair didn't look too different, it was less wild with a subtle sheen added to it, and every time she moved her head the faint scent of spring followed her.

After eating too much chocolate all the muffins, Hermione hustled Ginny out of the room so she could get dressed. Half an hour later Hermione was standing by the overgrown garden next to Hagrid's hut. The air was crisp and clear, maybe her birthday wasn't so bad she thought as she breathed in the smell of Autumn.

As promised, the sack was sitting on the steps, strange grunting was coming from inside. Hagrid was out for the day tending to a sick Kelpie in the lake. Not wanting to touch the squirming bag, Hermione levitated it in front of her as she made her way down the grassy slope toward the forest.

She found the clump of bushes Hagrid had described next to the rock that looked like a turtle. Her plan was to lure the Jarvey out with one gnome at a time, Hagrid had made it sound easy. Then again Hagrid's best friend used to be a giant spider, his track record wasn't very comforting.

She kept silent until she was sure she was in precisely the right place. Not wanting to take any chances, she slid on her dragon hide gloves. She carefully untied the bag and shook it open at arms length. An assortment of knobbly legs wiggled to the top of the pile, holding her breath she grabbed one of the legs and tossed the gnome toward the bush, trying not to squeal as she dashed back to the safety of a tree.

Her focused turned to breathing quietly, the dazed gnome wobbled around, stumbling into small rocks and twigs.

A low grunt and a rustling of dead leaves came from beneath the bush. The gnome froze. A flash of white shot past and in a split second the gnome was gone. Hermione blinked. Scrapping dirt followed by a crunching sound came from the shadows. Hermione crouched down a safe distance back, trying to see what was under there. Unable to see anything, she let out a small polite cough and stood up. The crackle of dried leaves gave way to a creature as it slunk out of the shadows.

"What scum treads through my forest?" an unpleasant voice emerged, followed by its owner, the largest white ferret Hermione had ever seen. A chill trickled down her back. "Um, hello there. I'm Hermione," she said, trying to keep her voice steady. She eyed the path leading out of the forest.

The creature stood dead still, it's unblinking eyes focused on her. A series of what she assumed to be insults exploded out of its mouth with great force. Between words it barked and growled disconcertingly. Hermione wasn't even sure what any of it meant, she managed to catch few words.

The creature suddenly became silent. Hermione stood frozen, judging whether the creature would attack her, she tried to process what had just happened. She definitely caught the words mudblood, whore and trollop in the whirlwind of peculiar insults.

Fear pulsing through her blood turned to anger as she grasped the abuse that had come out of the foul creature's mouth. She stood up straight, regaining her composure. She decided it was best to remain polite. "That was very rude, after I gave you that gnome you ought to be more grateful." She tried to keep her voice steady, not forgetting her mission.

It lunged forward, aiming at her heels. She screamed and jumped in the air, darting back behind the nearest tree

"You little rat!" she yelled. She kept as much distance from the creature as she could. The crunch of leaves behind her caused her to jump. Blood pounded in her ears.

"Who you yelling at Granger?" She flicked her head around to see Malfoy standing a short way down the path holding his broomstick.

"A giant rude ferret," she said as she stamped her foot, took off the thick gloves and rolled up the sleeves on her sweater, eyes back to focusing on the bush where it retreated.

"Hey, I thought we were past that?" Malfoy said, placing his hand over his heart.

She pointed to the bush, "That thing," she spat, "it called me several horrible names and tried to bite me! I don't even know what most of it meant," she said, feeling the heat in her face rising.

Malfoy raised his eyebrows. His eyes went to where she was pointing. He walked a bit closer, Hermione grabbed his elbow, pulling him back.

"No, don't — it tried to bite me." She warned.

She watched the bush where it disappeared, gripping Malfoy's arm tightly. A shadow once more emerged from the undergrowth. The ferret came into view again, moving its head from side to side in an unsettling manner.

"The scarecrow has an albino boyfriend!" it exclaimed. "Zounderkite, hornswoggler, arfarfan'arf, pillock, scum!" It cackled then rolled on the ground, rubbing its head in the dirt and growling at the sack lying nearby.

"Bloody hell. You weren't lying. What is that thing?" he said, eyes flicking between Hermione and the creature. Draco held is broomstick between them and the Jarvey.

"I'm Count Archibald. Now step away from my forest, your unworthy feet corrupt my ground." The ferret slunk closer to the sack, sniffing the ground loudly. "These are mine." It let out a low growl of pleasure.

Hermione letting go of Malfoy's arm, grabbed his broom and raced forward, whacking the ground next to the bag of gnomes right in front of the animal.

"Get away you horrible creature. Those aren't your gnomes!" She held the broom at the ready, finding herself wanting to hit the repulsive animal.

"Hey easy on the broom," she heard Malfoy yell.

She ignored him, focusing on the Jarvey. "I'll give you a gnome if you help me," she said, trying to sound confident.

"Are you crazy woman! You intentionally found this thing to get its help? It's clearly deranged, let's just get out of here." Malfoy said, trying to pull her back.

"No," she said shaking off his hand she pushed her shoulders back, "I came here for answers— Mr Archibald, this is very important, could you please refrain from insulting me for one minute. I need to know if you have seen a large orange cat in the forest. His name is Crookshanks, he is part kneazle and very intelligent."

She eyed the giant ferret hopefully. It slunk closer, gracefully gliding across the dry forest floor until it stood in front of them. Hermione stepped back into Malfoy, not realising he was right behind her. She felt Draco's hand on her waist, pulling her back so he could step in front of her, she didn't take her eyes of the Jarvey.

It raised itself to stand on its back legs, its paws dangled in front of its body as it tilted his head to the side. If she hadn't been so terrified it might have appeared comical. She gripped the broom tightly. The Jarvey's head tilted back and sniffed the air noisily.

"This witch is interesting, you smell of something familiar. The forest knows you. I will answer you, and you will give me the gnomes," it stated.

Malfoy shook his head at her. She firmly planting her feet and attempted to add an air of authority to her voice, "If you tell me what I want to know, you can have one," she said. The ferret's eyes narrowed, it gave a low cackling laugh and in a raspy voice said

"_Where you dare not go_

_Few people do know_

_The not silver tree_

_Will show you the key_

_If you want your gift_

_Out your legs must lift_

_This present it would say_

_I wish you well this day.__"_

The creature then dropped sideways stiff as a board and started giggling hysterically, rolling around. Hermione and Draco looked at one another, both confused and unnerved by the situation. She snapped out of it and got out a notebook trying her to best records the riddle.

"I have no idea if that was helpful," she muttered to herself, stuffing her notebook and pen back into her bag.

"Who cares, let's get the hell out of here," Malfoy said, without asking he raced over to the sack and upended the gnomes into an ugly pile in the dirt. He appeared at Hermione's side, "Come on." He grabbed her hand and dragged her down the path running until they were clear of the forest.

They slowed to a walk and continued up the grassy hill until they reached a large rock with a good vantage point of the forest. Hermione swore she could still hear cackling laughter behind them and repressed a shudder.

She tried to catch her breath, her legs screaming from running and the hill. She realised she was still holding Malfoy's hand and dropped it, turning to look into the distance in the other direction. Malfoy clambered up the rock and sat with his legs dangling off the edge. He patted the spot next to him. Hermione joined him, handing back his broom and sat for several minutes without speaking.

Eventually Hermione shook her head, trying to dispel the angry voice in her head. "Why the hell did you do that, tip the gnomes and run off?" she blurted out, "I could have got more info out of it."

"Like hell you could," he said, poking a bit of moss of the rock face. "That thing was mad, we're lucky it didn't bite one of us. That forest is in desperate need of some pest control."

Hermione took a deep breath and bit her lip, willing herself not to cry.

"Come on, it's just a stupid cat," he shrugged.

"He's not just a stupid cat," she said, her shoulders slumped as she stared at her empty hands. "He's my only family," she whispered. The tears welled up, she couldn't breathe. She gulped the air trying to regain control, an unwanted sob escaped.

She needed to leave. Without saying goodbye, she jumped off the rock and ran, tears clouding her vision. She blindly headed towards the castle, deep sobs building in her chest until she couldn't hold them any longer. She reached the courtyard, collapsing into a hidden alcove. She curled up in a ball, and shielded by a menacing centaur statue she fell apart.

The past year's horrible memories flooded her mind in waves. The sick feeling in her stomach as she _obliviated_ her Parents, the terror and helplessness watching Harry and Ron get captured by the Snatchers, hearing her own scream ripped from her soul as Bellatrix's _Crucio _tore through every nerve in her body.

She tried to block the memories but they kept coming; Dobby saying goodbye to Harry, Fred's body surrounded by his family, the dead bodies lying wide eyed in the very courtyard she sat in. Crookshanks — the one thing giving her hope. Helplessness swept over her, drowning her, draining her until there was nothing left in reserve. Her tears stopped. She leaned her head against the stone wall and sat in silence staring at the vines slowly strangling the solid stone.

Time passed both slowly and quickly. She had no idea how long she sat there. She told herself to get a grip, the worst was over, she needed to start living her life.

She tried to remember the good things, the main one was that they had survived— that was good. She thought back to when Sirius came back through the Veil before the final battle, it had seemed like a miracle at the time, he looked years younger than he rightfully should have been as if he his age had frozen. He gave Harry the courage he needed to get through the final challenges— that was good.

She thought of the Weasleys and how they looked after her, of Harry and how he wouldn't take no for an answer when he asked her to move in, of little Teddy Lupin and the joy he brought to everyone after such dark times.

Embarrassed at how she had given up and fallen apart so easily, Hermione forced herself up. She wouldn't let this beat her and she wouldn't give up hope. She pulled out her brightening potion and dabbed it on her face, it was a habit that she had picked up from Ginny, whether it was a placebo or not (as she suspected it was), it at least made her feel better.

She groaned inwardly thinking back to Malfoy on the rock, he had seen the start of her meltdown. She would have to avoid him for a while. That, and focus on what the Jarvey had said in his riddle, maybe it wasn't all nonsense. The least she could do was to try find out.

**Thanks to everyone for reading. Hope you're all enjoying the story so far. I'm going to do an editing spree over the weekend so should have a few chapters lined up next week.**

**Happy reading :)**


	5. Chapter 5- Dreamless Sleep

**Chapter Five**

**Dreamless Sleep**

The little dungeon lab was beginning to feel like home to Hermione. The second she walked through the door the sound of potions bubbling mixed with the scent of drying herbs and the earthy dampness beneath the lake caused a lightness to spread through her. It was her private escape from the craziness of the castle.

A month had passed where Hermione had barely seen Draco thanks to her avoidance strategies. She knew his schedule and would escape to her new sanctuary whenever he was in class or at Quidditch practice. The only exception was their weekly meeting to check their ingredients were drying, pickling or re-hydrating as planned.

Her remaining hours were spent well filled; either studying in the library with Theo, going to class, studying alone, hanging out with Luna, Ginny and Neville, and she even managed to squeeze in a few visits to Hagrid. Life was a bit hectic , but she felt like her routine and study plans were going well. She was even getting enough sleep — if only for the fact that she ignored the tiny voice in her head telling her to stop with the Dreamless Sleep. She repeatedly blocked it out, preferring the blissful denial.

Occasionally the voice would break through, succeeding in bringing on cold sweats at night as she imagined the future and the detox she would have to endure, only made worse by time. The solution; more Dreamless Sleep. It quickly swept away the thoughts in a warming, calming, all-encompassing blanket of denial.

* * *

Hermione groaned as she checked the time, why was she awake so early on a Saturday morning? Her brain filled with images of maps and silver trees from the night before. Instead of joining her classmates partying on a Friday night, Hermione had stayed up far too late pouring over every copy on record of Forbidden Forest maps. Every tiny reference, every description of the forest, anything mentioning silver trees, she had stacked up and began the slow task of wading through, sifting out any detail that might relate to the Jarvey's weird rhyme.

Its taunting words swirled around in her brain, even in her sleep. She found herself whispering them aloud when she was alone.

"_Where you dare not go_

_Few people do know_

_The not silver tree_

_Will show you the key_

_If you want your gift_

_Out your legs must lift_

_This present it would say_

_I wish you well this day.__"_

She thought at least finding reference to silver trees could set her on the right path. A moment of hope sparked when she found a reference to an old map in Hogwarts. She asked every ghost and portrait she came across in the late hour if they had ever heard of it. Most were displeased at being woken, and less than helpful, all claimed never to have heard of such a map.

At 3am she had one last idea. Dumbledore. Hermione had come across him the previous week in a still life painting of fruit opposite a large window that looked out across the Hogwarts grounds. Wishing she had Harry's map, she disillusioned herself and silently made her way through the corridors.

As she reached the spot her heart sunk. The painting was just a boring picture of fruit, and not well painted fruit either. She stood there staring at it, wondering what to do next, when suddenly, a pointy hat emerged from behind the bunch of bananas.

"Miss Granger, I see you have found my secret getaway once more," Dumbledore said as he helped himself to a bland looking apple.

"Yes Sir, I'm glad you're here. I was wondering if you could tell me where I might find an enchanted map of the Forbidden Forest somewhere in the castle?" she suppressed a giggle as Dumbledore spat out the apple, a look of repugnance on his face.

"Rather peculiar — it seems fruit must be painted well in order for it to taste any good." He put back the half eaten apple, and it became whole again. He looked at Hermione, "Hogwarts walls can be there, and not there. One must only know where to look." He winked and helped himself to a banana before retreating into the background of oily brush strokes. Hermione sighed, typical Dumbledore.

Though it did flicker something in her mind, a possible solution that would coincide with her visit to Hogsmeade the following day. She was sure it was what Dumbledore meant, she raced up to the Owlery, her night time sneaking now at expert level. She rushed in breathless, and spotted Mars, hoping Malfoy wouldn't notice him gone in the morning. She quickly wrote a note to Harry and sent Mars on his way, she watched him disappear into the oppressive blackness of the night sky. She had already planned to meet up with Harry and Ron, something they had been trying to arrange for weeks. She just hoped Harry would get her message in time.

She trudged back down the endless stone steps thinking about the next day; first, she had arranged to meet up with Malfoy. They planned to visit the Apothecary to get more potion ingredients and most importantly, make their first attempt at buying the restricted moon-flower seeds.

It was a long shot and unlikely the shop would even stock moon-flower seeds, even more unlikely they would sell a restricted substance to two students off the Ministry record. Worst-case scenario they would be reported to the Ministry or the school. She didn't like to think about that, but Malfoy was insistent — confident in his _brilliant _negotiating skills.

Hermione finished breakfast before most people were awake. It was hours before she was due to meet Malfoy in the village.

She went back to her room and changed her outfit, having not dressed warmly enough the first time round. She put on jeans and a nicely fitted maroon sweater. As she headed out the door, she grabbed a scarf and her light grey wool coat.

Hermione wound her way down toward the dungeons, wanting to check the ingredients and grab some notes. Her boots echoed on the stone of the spiralling stairs. She found the heavy wooden door to their workshop unlocked— strange— Malfoy wasn't usually up early. She creaked open the door and peered inside. The eerie glow of the lake filled the room. She saw a figure draped over the table surrounded by paper and notebooks. She was relieved to see it was Malfoy. He was very much asleep, his head resting on crossed arms.

Hermione stepped into the lab, loudly shutting the door behind her hoping it would wake him. He remained in his slumber. Rubbing the back of her neck, she paused to watch him. His face was so much softer when he slept, none of the defensiveness he constantly displayed in daily life showed through. She had to wake him up. Tiptoeing over to the sleeping Malfoy, she whispered his name from a safe distance. He mumbled something in his sleep but didn't move.

Her eyes darted around the room, unsure what she was looking for. Not finding it, she decided to stop being a wuss and wake him. She cautiously poked his shoulder with her wand, "Malfoy, wake up," she jumped back, instinctively putting up a _protego_ and falling into a natural defensive stance. In an instant he was awake, his body tensed on the verge of attack, his wand aimed directly at Hermione's chest.

His face was stony and focused with an intense, fevered stare, his eyes flashing a severe warning to his attacker. He blinked a few times then lowered his wand before Hermione had a chance to speak. She remained frozen in place, unsure if he knew where he was. He dropped his wand down on the bench as if it was glowing steel then rubbed his face with both hands.

"Sorry Hermione, I didn't mean to react like that. I could have hurt you." He sat back down, holding his head in his hands.

Hermione forced her muscles to relax, lowering her shield and wand, her pulse continued to race. "Don't worry. I was prepared for a reaction, just wasn't sure what," she gave a weak laugh. "You wouldn't have hurt me." She went over to the wall cabinet and started taking out vials and a few leather pouches to bring to Hogsmeade. "So why were you sleeping in here, anyway?" she asked, trying to act like a normal person but felt like she couldn't remember how.

He sighed, "Couldn't sleep last night — story of my life. I came down here to get some work done, I must have fallen asleep eventually."

"I know the feeling, why don't you take Dreamless Sleep?" she asked, wondering if she was being too nosey but as usual gave in to her curiosity.

"I can't. I've been there, it's too addictive, tempting as it is. I know myself and it won't end well for me. I used to have a bit now and then, but it was too enticing. I made sure I stopped taking it over summer and that nearly didn't work out." He rubbed his eyes again, and glared at his wand as if he didn't trust it, "Luckily I had a lot of alcohol on hand. That shit destroys your kidneys and liver in the long run you know? — The Dreamless Sleep I mean," he said, as he stretched and started gathering his work up.

"I know," she replied quietly.

"Plus I can't have anything in my system by the time our potion's ready, I know if I can hold out till then everything will be better. Just got to stay focused," Draco said more to himself than Hermione as he rolled up his sleeves.

Hermione turned around and stared at him. "Is that true?" she started biting her fingernail "Of course it's true," she said to herself, she closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. "There are too many components in our potion for negative interactions with outside elements."

"Don't sweat it, Granger, we shouldn't have anything to worry about."

"You might not," she mumbled, suddenly very focused on packing away the box of vials facing the wall.

A hand grabbed her shoulder and spun her around. Malfoy looked her straight in the eye, his hands held both of her shoulders steady, she couldn't twist away. She dropped her head low, studying the gaps in the flagstone floor, avoiding his stare at the same time raising her occlumency shields. She tried to wiggle out of his grip again, but he held her firmly in place. Once she stopped moving, he lowered his hands and picked wrists, holding them lightly. The strong tremors in them were obvious — it told him everything he needed to know. He studied them for a moment then lowered them; her hands remained loosely in his grasp.

"No," he said slowly shaking his head, "Your addicted to it. You of all people Hermione. Why do that to yourself?"

She took a deep breath, "It's better than the alternative, the pain, the nightmares, insomnia — having to lie awake in bed with your thoughts thinking about all the people you lost, wondering why you're still there, and they aren't. It's easier to block it out." She tried to turn away again. She felt a light squeeze on her hands. She shut her eyes, determined not to cry. He released her hands, and she turned away.

"I know it's hard, but you have to stop," he said, "I can help you — but you would probably rather have your friends help," he said, "I'm sure they wouldn't mind, or Madame Pomfrey? Your parents?"

"No one else knows," she admitted, "and Madame Pomfrey only let me have it the first week of school, I'd hate for any of them to know I was still taking it, it's embarrassing," she admitted. "I can't believe I told you of all people," she turned to face him, her cheeks grew warm.

"Well if I'm the only person who knows I guess I'm the only person who can help, and you'll just have to accept it. Plus I've been though the same thing. I'm the logical choice to help you."

"I suppose you're right. I thought I'd try in the next holidays. I'm too busy here," Hermione said, shrugging.

"No, you can do it from today," he stated, "you know, _trying_ doesn't work in this scenario, you just do it." He folded his arms across his chest.

"We can argue about this later. Since we're both here, let's get this stuff at Hogsmeade over and done with," she said very much wanting to change the subject.

"Fine but you can't get out of it that easily. I don't forget things you know — you have to be ready at the end of January for our finished product, you'll be jealous if I'm the one who gets cured and you can't take it," he teased as he picked up his coat and bag.

"After you," he said, gesturing toward the door.

She followed him out the door, surprised at his sudden concern for her wellbeing. It was because of the potion she told herself. He wanted them both to test the potion.

Why hadn't she thought of it before? She would have to stop taking the Dreamless Sleep soon if she wanted to take their potion. The problem was, it was much easier to think about than actually putting it into practice. The detox would be a living nightmare and she had been putting it off far too long.

* * *

**Hope the weekend is going well for everyone. Thank you to the new followers and those who have favourited the story, I'm so happy people are reading it. **** Hope you enjoyed that chapter. I'm looking forward to the trip to Hogsmeade, hope you are too.**


	6. Chapter 6- A Hogsmeadey day out

**Chapter Six**

**A Hogsmeadey day out**

Of all the people Hermione imagined walking to Hogsmeade with, Draco was at the bottom of the list. That's not to say it was an unpleasant walk, quite the opposite. Rather uneventful given her companion and she found him surprisingly easy to get along with. He never said much, which rather suited Hermione, they walked in comfortable silence. Hermione became lost in her thoughts about Dreamless Sleep, or more accurately, the prospect of the torturous detox.

They arrived at the cobbled street, the early hour rendering it devoid of students. Wasting no time, they made their way to Mortimer's Apothecary. A wooden sign with a cauldron hung above the door, this seemed perfectly normal. What was not normal was the oozing mixture of foam and purple goo dripping and bubbling onto a very messy doorstep. Hermione eyed it wearily and followed Malfoy by jumping over the suspicious puddle and through the door he held open.

She thanked Malfoy as she brushed past him, entering the well-stocked store. The still silent air held the smells of both familiar and exotic herbs, spices and something nose tickling that followed Hermione across the room. Mysterious items were stacked high to the crooked ceiling. Jars, vials and flasks contained all sorts of unknown powers, animal parts, plants, liquids and mesmerising shimmering solutions.

Hermione's finger trailed over a dusty shelf. A description of a mystery substance lay buried, when she wiped it clean she found it was in a strange language of symbols she didn't recognise, nor did she recognise half the items in the shop.

Draco coughed, pulling her attention back to their mission. Her footsteps echoed on the hard floor as she joined him at the counter. Draco rang the delicate bell on the bench much harder than necessary as Hermione unrolled her list out across the old wooden surface.

A short, crooked man rushed out, enthusiastic about his first morning customers. He greeted them, ignoring Draco's prickly comments about the oozing doorstep and immediately got to work reading the list and whizzing about the shop. He popped up between shelves, up ladders and inside chests faster than Hermione's eye could follow as he gathered ingredients and zipped back and forth between his many sets of scales. Hermione watched in awe as he accurately measured everything and filled their vials and bags with the speed and grace as only a skilled professional (with magic) could.

The man looked pleased with finding everything on their list and has he ticked up the bill on the ancient cash register, Hermione felt her palms sweating. It was the moment she was dreading, they needed the moon-flower seeds.

She casually skimmed her eye across the back shelf, hoping for an indication they might be there. Malfoy stepped up, "Thank you, Sir, we didn't think we could get all the ingredients we needed here, you've made our lives much easier," he said in an over-polite, Malfoyish way. Hermione held her tongue and refrained from rolling her eyes.

The man didn't seem to notice. "Glad I could be of service, we pride ourselves in supplying ingredients, rare or common to every witch and wizard in need." He stood up as straight as he could, which was still quite crooked.

"Well now that you mention it, we are after a rarer ingredient. We would be most grateful if you could help. We find ourselves in need of moon-flower seeds," Malfoy's eyes firmly locked with the little man's.

The man shuffled awkwardly, "I'm sorry, Sir, that is one thing I can't sell you. It's a restricted substance you know, has to be ordered special and registered with the Ministry." The man's eyes narrowed, not backing down.

"Yes we are aware of that," Malfoy continued, not yet deterred. "You see, this potion we are developing needs to be brewed quite quickly, it's a bit of an emergency. So if you have any in stock, I'd be happy to pay double. You needn't register it with the Ministry," he was looming over the man, hands firmly placed on the counter.

Hermione's muscles and hands were twitching, her stomach telling her it didn't want her breakfast anymore. "Let's just get these and go," she blurted out, tugging Malfoy's sleeve.

Malfoy was still staring at the man, "I suggest you listen to your little lady, she knows what's right. You can pay for these items and then leave my store, young master. I don't want to report you. I know both your faces from the paper, I'll tell your school if I have to," he said.

"Fine, I'll take my business elsewhere," Malfoy threw a pile of coins down on the counter and stormed out. Hermione gathered up the bags and gave the man an apologetic look as she jumped over the purple puddle and raced after Malfoy. He was out on the street pacing. Most of the shops had opened since they entered the Apothecary and it was getting busy. Not wanting to make a scene, Hermione grabbed Malfoy's elbow and pulled him down the nearest alleyway out of public sight.

"Useless bastard," Malfoy said as he stormed between the two brick walls, fists clenched at his side. He looked as if he were about to punch the wall but lowered his hands as if thought better of it, instead he kicked a pile of loose bricks.

Hermione stayed at a distance free of brick kicking fallout. She put the shopping bags down but held her wand. "You can't always just buy everything you want, there are rules for a reason."

"We needed that, he could have just given it to us," he spat.

"He couldn't. You know it's a restricted substance, and we both knew going in, it was unlikely we would get it. It was worth a try though," Hermione planted her feet and stood up straight. Malfoy ran his hands through his hair and leaned against the brick wall. He closed his eyes then looked up at Hermione still standing there with the shopping bags either side of her.

"We just have to go to Plan B, we can order the seeds with your owl from Druggan and Sons, then on Christmas break, we can pick them up. It's risky, but as long as no one recognises us in town and we're in and out, it should be easy. You said it yourself before," she watched him carefully.

He paced a few steps before rubbing his face then letting out a breath. "Argg you're so annoying, how are you always right? I should go back to hating you," he said, picking a remaining shard of brick and hurled it at the far wall.

She let her shoulders relax. "Well, I guess that means you don't hate me at least." She picked up the shopping bags. "I'm going to get a coffee at the Three Broomsticks while I wait for my friends. You can come if you like," she turned towards the street, not looking back to see if he followed.

"Sure, but maybe something stronger than a coffee," he swooped in beside her and nicked one of the bags. They headed for the Three Broomsticks, Malfoy's fist was clenched around the shopping bag, and he was stomping rather than his usual strutting. Hermione ignored him. The short walk appeared to do him good. As they got closer to the pub, his stride returned to normal, and by the time they walked in the door of the Three Broomsticks, he was in an acceptable mood to be seen in public.

Though public being the last thing either of them wanted, they picked a booth in the darkest corner of the pub. Draco was back to his usual self, even a touch nicer, as offered to get the first round of drinks. He came back with a coffee for Hermione and three glasses of fire whiskey, one of which he poured straight into the coffee.

She looked at him and frowned

"Hey, it's really good, don't knock it till you try it," he said as he sipped his drink and leant back in the seat.

Not wanting to waste perfectly good coffee, Hermione tried it and found that she rather liked it. The creamy coffee and the rich spiciness of the fire whiskey mixed pleasantly, not appropriate for the time of the day but reminded her of home, of Sirius.

Their scheming of new plans for acquiring moon-flower seeds got more ridiculous as time went on and whiskey levels got lower. Deciding it was best to stick with their original Plan B, they moved on to discussing how they would navigate Knockturn Alley and remain unnoticed. Their ideas for disguises were getting sillier the more they drunk.

Without realising, the conversation drifted to topics Hermione would never have thought to discuss with Draco Malfoy. He was interested in things other than quidditch and being a rich boy — who would have known?

He shared Hermione's love of books and history, his eyes lit up when she started talking about her TV. He admitted he never paid any attention to Muggle technology, mostly due to his father, but was interested to hear more. She explained television to him and how the enchantments on Hogwarts kept her from getting reception, but she had devices movies were stored in.

She almost felt sorry for him when he said he felt like he had been missing out all these years. He did get a promise out of her to show him a movie sometime.

The conversation turned when Draco asked if Hermione had found her cat yet. She replied by insisting on another round of drinks, she immediately stood up and walked to the bar. As soon as she got back to the table with the drinks, she realised Draco wasn't like Ron, he wouldn't forget something that quickly.

"So you didn't answer my question," Draco said.

"I'm working on finding him still. I think he's out there I just haven't had time to go look." Hermione replied, suddenly very focused on examining the label on the glass.

"You didn't tell me it was your birthday that day," Draco said, once again using his intense stare to demand attention.

"No — it wasn't exactly a great day. I was trying to forget about it," she said, avoiding his eyes.

"Well I got you a present—a belated birthday, and, a I'm-sorry-for-being-a-dick-to-you-all-those-years-gift." He pulled a small box out of his pocket and slid it across the table. It rested, just touching Hermione's hand that held her glass. It was a blue velvet box.

She lifted her fingers and pulled the box closer, cursing her shaking hands. She opened the box, glancing at Malfoy to check if it was a trick or joke of some sort. He rubbed his forearm and nodded at her to open the box. It swung open, revealing a simple silver necklace. The delicate chain and a small charm were perfect— a silhouette of a cat in side profile with one paw in the air.

She loved it. Her mouth suddenly felt dry, her throat thick. She had no idea what to say. Why did he get this? Did he actually mean what he said or was he just trying to bribe her? Did he buy lots of girls jewellery? She picked the necklace up and felt the cool silver in her palm.

"So you like it?" Malfoy asked as he rubbed his forearm again.

Hermione cleared her throat. "It's lovely, I really like it — thank you so much." She was wondering if she should put it on. Before she finished her thought, Draco was on her side of the table. He took the necklace and indicated for her to turn. She did so and held up her hair as he placed the chain around her neck. Suddenly glad of their dark corner, she let down her hair and felt the cold metal settle on her chest.

Draco moved back and smiled. "It looks good on you," he said.

"Um, thanks. You know you really didn't have to get me anything."

He shrugged. "I know, but I wanted to. Plus you seemed kind of upset and have been avoiding me for weeks."

She fiddled with the necklace, suddenly feeling very thirsty. "I haven't been Malfoy, I've just been busy," she lied.

She avoided his eye and sipped her butterbeer. Malfoy didn't comment, instead went back to talking about the potion. She was beginning to appreciate just how clever Malfoy was. Hopefully, he didn't notice her nervousness. She tried to ignore the constant voice in her head and shaking in her hands and act normal. She became absorbed in the conversation on moon-flower seeds and their interaction with other substances, she soon forgot her nervousness.

Hermione was finishing her second butterbeer when she checked her watch and blinked in alarm.

"Shit, I'm late," she said, peering over the booth to see Harry and Ron already sitting at the opposite side of the pub on a sun-drenched table by the window. She couldn't believe she and Draco had been there all morning, nor did she notice the pub get busy. She slunk down low into the chair.

"Feel free to join them. I'm meant to be meeting Theo and Pansy here is half an hour anyway," he said, looking at his watch. "You won't even know I'm here, promise. I'm sure you don't want to be seen with me," he took a sip of his drink.

"It's not that I don't want to be seen with you, I don't care about that. Well other than the fact that newspapers and other students like to make up stories. It's because of Ron. I can't be bothered dealing with his childishness, and if he sees you, it will not go well I promise you that," she said spinning the now empty glass around on the table.

"I'll stick to my friends you stick to yours, no problem. See you back at school," he said.

"Okay, well thanks for the drinks and the present," she said, her fingers instinctively went to the silver cat. She slid out from the booth. Draco nodded and continued sitting with his perfect posture and drinking. She gathered up her bag, coat and one of the shopping bags, leaving him the other, then quickly said goodbye before darting across the ladies toilets. She washed up, then as ordinarily as possible, walked alongside the bar and hurried over to where the boys were sitting.

"Hey Hermione, we were starting to get worried, it's not like you to be late," Harry said, standing up to give her a big hug. The warmth of the embrace (and alcohol) spread through her. She realised how much she missed Harry. She moved to the other side of the table and hugged Ron, it felt awkward, not natural the way it used to be.

"It's so good to see you both! I've missed you so much," Hermione said, bouncing on her toes, trying not to give away the amount of alcohol she had consumed.

"Same here, it isn't the same at home without you, Sirius says hi by the way," Harry said, "sit down, I'll get us a round of drinks.

Hermione sunk into the booth next to Ron placing her bags and coat between them. The wait for Harry to return with their drinks was uncomfortable, to say the least. She tried to make conversation with Ron, asking about how the joke shop was going and what they were working on. He half-heartedly replied with a vague comment about George developing new products then complained about having to run the shop alone most of the time. Hermione tried her best to appear interested and happy for him and George, but Ron didn't want to talk about it. Or anything for that matter. Hermione found herself actually wanting to return to Draco rather than sit with Ron another minute.

They sat in silence. Hermione fiddled with her new necklace, willing Harry to return quickly. Lost in thought, Hermione realised she'd been humming to herself when she noticed Ron staring at her strangely. Harry returned seconds later with three butterbeers in hand, placing one in front of each of them. Hermione commended his timing.

"You look really happy, Hermione," Harry said. "It's good, we were worried you wouldn't be sleeping right. Has school been stressful, have you been getting sleep? Sirius made me ask that."

"It's fine, I'm fine, and I've been sleeping okay most of the time," she lied. "So how's Auror training Harry?"

Harry's retelling of his training so far was both hilarious and disturbing. He had stories of unexpected drills, mock Death Eater attacks, being surprised in hallways, bathrooms and on the streets. Plus being subjected to daily unsolvable puzzles and mysteries. He loved it and was excelling in everything they threw at him.

Harry updated them on Sirius and his new consultation work for the Ministry of Magic. He explained that Sirius had been giving them intel on Death Eater Families from his own family history and things he picked up in Azkaban. Although the war was over, there were still many unaccounted for Death Eaters on the loose. Hermione was happy to hear both Sirius and Harry were doing so well. Even if they weren't eating right without her.

Hermione offered to buy the next round of drinks. She walked up to the bar, now crowded with students and weekend travellers. She avoided leaning on the sticky spots on the counter as she waited for the barman, she scanned the large room. She saw that Theo and Pansy had joined Malfoy in their booth. She scoffed as she saw Pansy slide right up close to Draco, giving an over-the-top fake laugh at whatever he said. It made her happy to see Draco shuffle further down the booth to escape Pansy's advances. She suppressed a laugh at the scene before catching Draco's eye, he gave her a look that almost seemed like a plea for help. She smiled and shrugged helplessly at him. He shook his head at her but smiled back.

Finally, the busy barman got to her, she ordered three butterbeers and three shots of firewhiskey. She had a taste for it now. She glanced over at Draco's booth to see that Pansy and Theo were alone. Theo was looking unamused at whatever Pansy was saying.

A flirtatious voice arose over her shoulder, "Hey Princess, thanks for waking me up this morning," Draco's finger trailed a line down her spine as he walked past. She stood dead upright, the echo of his finger leaving a shiver running through her. She knew he was messing with her to get a reaction. "I should have gone with my original plan and thrown a bucket of water on you," she answered with more confidence than usual. "I'd love to see a drenched ferret." She turned around to face Draco.

"I'm sure you would." He smiled at her and continued walking. She rolled her eyes before turning back to the bar, ignorant of the footsteps of customers swarming to get drinks.

"That'll be eighteen sickles love," the rough voice of the bartender focused her back on reality.

Hermione dug deep into her bag, pulling out the exact change and paid the barman. She levitated the tray of drinks back to the table and sat down, wondering why Malfoy was teasing her like that. Lost in thought, she slid the glasses to her two friends then looked up, only to find Ron giving her a death glare and Harry looking very confused. She raised her eyebrows in question looking at Harry first and then Ron.

"Are you sleeping with him?" Ron asked, grabbing his drink and slamming it down on the table hard enough to slosh it down the sides of the glass.

"What the hell, Ron?" she said, looking to Harry again for answers. "What are you talking about?"

Ron's fists were clenched, pressing into the table showing white knuckles.

"You're sleeping with _him_, right? Is that it? I'm not good enough for you, but he is?" he said in a low voice, his face starting to turn red.

Hermione was gripping the edge of the table, telling herself not to slap Ron. "Who are you talking about? Where did this come from?"

"Ron, you're sounding a bit crazy here mate," Harry said, looking back at Hermione showing he had no idea either.

"Malfoy," Ron hissed the name at her.

Her stomach tightened, and she felt a blush rising in her cheeks, imagining how the brief interaction at the bar would have looked from Ron's perspective. She calmly sipped her drink then placed it back down before turning to look at Ron. Undeterred by her glare, Ron began talking, "I heard what he said to you at the bar, I was walking past," Ron said, his eyes filled with hatred.

"You misread the situation, Ron. That was just Malfoy being a prat," she tired to keep her voice as low as possible.

"I heard what he said, Hermione! He said you woke him up this morning," his voice getting louder, "What other explanation is there? — you can't deny it."

Harry sat across from them, looking confused, eyes flicking between his two friends, his wand raised above the table.

"Malfoy was just trying to wind me up to get a reaction, one that I didn't want to give him. I'd bet fifty galleons he knew you were listening and did it on purpose to get a reaction out of you," she said, holding her wand tightly below the table.

Ron flared his nostrils, Hermione could see a vein pulsing in his forehead. He started stuttering, trying to recover some dignity, "Why didn't you just yell at him like you usually would, or hex him? He's the enemy!" Ron said, banging his fist on the table hard.

"You're wrong, Ron, he's not my enemy, and I think we should have all learnt by now that violence is not always the answer."

Ron looked at her in disgust, "What are you talking about? He's always been our enemy." Ron gripped his half spilt fire whisky, shooting the whole thing down in one go. "So maybe you are sleeping with him? Is that it? You didn't deny it before!" his face was glowing red.

"I shouldn't have to tell you I'm not sleeping with him, you should just trust me! I can't believe you would just accuse me like that instead of asking me as a normal person would!" Her voice was getting louder, no longer caring about their surroundings. People were starting to turn their heads. "It's none of your business who I'm sleeping with anyway, I'm not your girlfriend, Ron! I can sleep with whoever I like, and I don't need your permission."

Harry cut in, "Ron, I think you should go home and cool off, you've had a few drinks, and you don't know what you're saying. Go home, mate."

The previously rowdy bar had reverted to a state of hushed mumbling, the occasional clink of glass breaking the charged atmosphere. Heads turned in their direction, waiting to see a duel erupt. Ron at least had enough sense to see it had gone too far. Hermione stood up and moved next to Harry to let Ron out, keeping her wand pointed at Ron's chest. Ron dragged his coat behind him out of the booth and looking straight at Hermione, shook his head, a bitter smile on his face. "Fuck whoever you like, see if I care." He stormed out the door.

Hermione ground her jaw tightly and sunk back into the booth opposite Harry. She looked around, noticing the mood of the room, she slunk down, trying to make herself invisible. Harry leaned across the booth speaking quietly, "Don't worry about him Hermione, I'm sure he didn't mean that, he's been under a lot of pressure with the shop and with missing Fred and all."

She found her voice shaking, "I can't believe he spoke to me like that. I'm not sleeping with Malfoy," she said. Determined not to cry she picked up the two remaining fire whiskeys. "Here," she pushed one over to Harry. "Drink with me."

"Can't argue with that," Harry said, holding the glass up to toast, "here's to not giving a shit about what Ron says," he said, smiling at her.

"Cheers," she managed a weak smile back and clinked glasses before downing the shots. She coughed, feeling the liquid burn down her throat causing her to laugh and splutter, "I'm not sure that's for shooting,"

"I'd rather not do that again either," Harry said. "Tastes better sipping it. I'll get us a few more, and then you can tell me what this is all about."

Hermione nodded in response, glad to have Harry there with her. She couldn't believe Ron had flipped out like that. She sat in the booth playing it over in her mind until Harry returned with four glasses of fire whisky. They still had their butterbeers as well.

"Just planning ahead," he said with a shrug, "Now, tell me what happened because I have no idea what's going on."

Hermione relaxed into the seat and relayed what happened earlier at the bar. Harry listened without commenting. They moved on from that and she told him about the potions project without going into any detail — she knew Harry hated potions. Then updated him on the new living arrangements in the castle and her progress on trying to find Crookshanks. She left out the bits about spending time with Draco.

After another round of drinks, they had updated each other on their lives and were laughing about Sirius's latest antics from Harry's animated storytelling.

Harry sat up straight. "I just remembered, I got your scary owl at some ridiculous hour last night. Here." He looked around and handed her something from his bag.

"Thank you so much, Harry!" Hermione looked around before tucking the map in her bag. A wave of excitement rushed through her, mixed with happy dizziness. She was sure she would find the map of the forest using the Marauders map to navigate the castle. Hopefully, it would give up some secrets to her.

Hermione felt her seat bounce up as someone sat down next to her. A teapot appeared in front of her. "Thought you could use this," Theo said, smiling at her.

"I'm not that drunk Theo," she said, patting his face as he made himself comfortable in the booth.

"Well considering you don't usually pat my face, I'd say you are," he said.

"Thanks, Theo," she accepted the tea. Harry looked confused.

"Nice necklace," Theo said, narrowing his eyes at it.

"Thanks, I got it for my birthday," Hermione said, trying to look down to see it. "It's pretty, isn't it?"

"It's nice — very you, Hermione," Harry said while Theo nodded in agreement. "I didn't think I'd seen that on you before."

"It's new," she said as she tried to pour the tea, focusing on lining up the spout with the teacup.

Theo turned his gaze to Harry. "Good work, Potter, you know, with the Dark Lord and all."

"Um, thanks I guess." Harry tilted his head towards Hermione.

"Oh sorry, Harry, this is Theo, Theo, Harry," Hermione said as she poured the tea into three cups.

Theo held out his hand, and Harry shook it. Harry shifted uncomfortably in the booth.

"Theo's in all my classes," she explained to Harry. "He's a much better study partner than you or Ron," her words came out with a subtle slur, she sipped the tea.

Harry laughed, "I'm sure that's true, we were pretty terrible."

"So I hear," Theo relaxed further back in his seat, sipping the tea Hermione had half pour for him, the other half being on the table.

"Theo, I think I'm a bit drunk," Hermione stated. Harry cracked up laughing, then snorted. "Me too," Harry said, "Maybe we got a bit carried away." He clumsily claimed the last teacup and took a sip.

"It's all Ron's fault, you know," she said to both the boys, "No!" she exclaimed, "it's Draco's fault! He started this. I should go hex him," she said, dead serious as she moved to get out of the booth.

Theo, who was blocking the way out gently pushed her back down in the seat. "Maybe we can go hex him later, he went back home," Theo said, clearly amused by the situation.

"Good," Hermione said with a strange amount of focus, "I know where he lives," she giggled.

"Why are you hexing Malfoy?" Theo asked.

"Because he's a prat! He intentionally gave Ron the impression we slept together, and Ron went mental — and it's not true Theo. That's why I will hex him."

"Yes, well, it's probably not a good idea to do that today. How about in class on Monday?" Theo moved his focus to Harry, changing the subject. "My father, was a Death Eater, you know? I killed him myself during the battle, he was a right bastard, never saw that coming." He happily took a sip of his tea and patted Hermione's arm.

Harry clearly not sure what to say remained silent. Hermione was not at all phased by his comment, "You have a strange way of meeting people Theo." She smiled up at him.

Harry, obviously put at ease by her reaction, started asking Theo all sorts of questions about Death Eaters — Theo was more than happy to answer. The two boys got on rather well, even if their bonding was over such a morbid topic, Hermione was pleased her new friend, and old friend were getting along. This led on to an afternoon of drinking tea, and into an early dinner.

The result was Harry and Hermione sobering up enough to make it home unassisted. Though Hermione took Theo up on his offer to walk her back, she suspected his motives were more to do with making sure she went to her room without hunting down Draco to hex him.

* * *

Hermione lay on her bed with her head spinning, it was still very early, too early for bed. Her thoughts were spiralling when she remembered the map she got off Harry. She stumbled to her desk and pulled it out of her bag. Through fuzzy eyes, she scanned the bit of old parchment that had saved them numerous times. She looked for anything that might indicate a giant map anywhere in the castle. After half an hour of unfocused searching, she spotted a potential forest map on the 7th floor near a painting of a centaur with the word _Conmostro_ next to it.

She was in no state to go there the way she was. Her head was pounding, and the frantic map searching had made her nauseous. It could wait till morning. Thoughts of the day rushed back at her, the anger towards Malfoy once again rippled through her. Wanting to make sure she remembered how angry she was the next day she wrote herself a note using her pretty new quill.

She selected the gold one and wrote in slightly wonky writing: _remember you are angry at Ron and Malfoy. Side note — Find Crookshanks- the forest map is on the 7th floor- talk to the centaur. Conmostro. Silver birch. Well_.

As she wrote, she noticed a jiggling coming from the quill box, odd, she thought. Most certainly time to sleep, and with that, she put herself to bed. The dreamless sleep bottle sat untouched.

* * *

**Thanks for reading, you have some Draco POV to look forward to in the next chapter **


	7. Chapter 7- Where is Hermione?

**Where is Hermione?**

Draco swung his legs out of bed and went straight to his coffee machine. He hated the coffee served for breakfast — too weak, too cheap. He discovered this brilliant muggle invention in his hotel over summer. Of course he had modified to be more efficient using magic, he never had to touch the thing, the bonus was it made his room smell like coffee. He tapped his fingers on the desk as it turned the magic beans into his favourite elixir.

He smirked to himself, thinking back to the day before. The look on Weasley's face — the way he went red, then Potter telling him to leave, and the Weasel stormed right out of the pub. So worth it. Perhaps not the best idea to piss off Hermione again, especially when she'd started to be civil around him. He hated to admit to himself, but he was beginning to enjoy her company. With his parents in Azkaban and the Dark Lord gone, he could think for himself for the first time in his life.

Draco sat on the edge of his bed sipping his coffee, putting off starting work. His mind drifted off letting the feelings of guilt creep up on him. This year was his fresh start, a chance to reinvent the Malfoy name. What was he left with? The tatters of a once-respected family and Malfoy Manor. That place — the incarnation of a nightmare, filled with detestable memories of the Dark Lord and horrific scenes of torture and rape — he never wanted to set foot in that prison again. He would burn it to the ground.

This potion was his lifeline to the future. It was his one shot at redemption, and his plan was well underway. Step one was bringing in Hermione — a vital part in the plot. Her reputation would give the potion credibility that no one could doubt, plus she was smart enough to keep up and get the job done right — he needed her.

It hadn't been hard to bribe Slughorn into getting Hermione partnered with him. The Potions Master could never say no to a bottle of Ogden's finest, nor the chance of being credited as the discoverer of future potions prodigies. Draco sold it as a genius pair of students who would become famous for their ground-breaking potion — not that Slughorn enquired what the potion was, Draco told him anyway. Draco knew he wouldn't miss a chance at claiming fame, even at the unlikeliest of chances.

Draco wasn't lying when he had said the potion would be ground breaking, his potion would be far superior to anything ever invented in defence of Dark curses. Slughorn believed his bullshit about creating an improved, faster-acting version of the basic pain reliever potion, and believed that would get them accolades. Anyone could do that. No. This would be revolutionary.

Step two in his plan was completing the potion and trialling it themselves.

Step three- completing his education.

Step four- announcing the potion to the world and dealing with the fallout before being recognised as a genius and hero to the Wizarding World. No — not hero — it made him nauseous at the thought. Being worshipped alongside the Golden Trio, no thank you. He just wanted to be recognised as anything but a Death Eater, he hoped this was a big enough gesture.

The prospect of working with Granger had sickened him at first, unsure how he would make it through the project alive. Though he didn't hate her anymore, when they first started he had trouble shaking the uneasy feeling of working with a Mud… ggle born. Her willingness to work with him was astonishing and helped get him past his Fathers voice that constantly popped up in his head.

Despite everything he had done to her in the past, not to mention what his family had subjected her to. She was one of the few people that treated him as a person, not a Death Eater.

Draco should have started work as he planned rather than sitting there thinking. Nothing good came of leaving himself idle. Memories in the form of horrifying visions and dreams would usurp his mind. Over and over he had seen Hermione sprawled on the floor of the Manor, Bellatrix hovering over her, the red flash of the _Crucio_ drawing a gut-wrenching scream from Hermione's lips. Bellatrix's manic laughter filling the room as time after time the Cruciatus seized Hermione's body in its paralysing grip, Draco felt each electrifying shock as it raced to every one of her nerves — he could never turn away. Not in real life, not in a dream or memory.

Every time he tried to escape the scene at that point, he would close his eyes, or try to will his way out. It was the same every time — he looked once more to see Bellatrix looming over Hermione's broken body, carving those ugly words into the flesh of her arm with glee.

At that point he snapped out of it, leaving him sweat covered with the bitter taste of bile in his mouth, a tightness in his chest. The guilt was overwhelming. He wants to help her, make up for what his family did to her. He would never tell her that. He rolled his shoulders back as if he could roll off the horrible scene, no longer wanting the now tainted tasting coffee, he put the cup back. He would get Hermione off the Dreamless Sleep, he knew it wouldn't make up for everything but it was a start.

Intending to throw himself into work Draco sat at his small desk and pulled out a stack of well-ordered notes. He had a set plan for the day. First, to gather all the background research for the potion, and then begin the draft potions report. It would be extensive, he intended it that way.

They needed the highest standard to get published in a reputable healers journal. Go big or go home. He was yet to discuss his plans with Hermione. It was a shame that he would do the work, and she would get half the credit. Oh well, it would be worth it for her name he kept telling himself. As more time went on, the less terrible it seemed.

Draco didn't leave his room all day. Theo stopped in to share a plate of sandwiches and to fill him in on what he missed at the Three Broomsticks with particular emphasis on the part where Hermione had vowed to hex Draco. Draco grinned and thanked Theo for protecting him, but did not take up his offer as a permanent body guard. Theo soon got bored and left.

Draco sat tapping his fingers on the desk yet again and tried to imagine what watching a television was like based on Hermione's description. Then he tried to read something, the writing all seemed to blur together. Images of Hermione bursting through his door to hex him kept appearing in his mind. Maybe he should apologise? He shook his head and tried to read the blurry words again.

Thirty minutes later he hadn't achieved a thing. He pushed back his chair, stretched before then reaching for his cooling balm. He took out a small dollop and rubbed it into his joints. He would never get used to the constant pain. Even if he didn't get famous for his potion, at least it could fix one aspect of his life.

He decided to find her. Putting on some decent clothes he ran a hand though his hair, it was no longer slicked back as his mother had preferred but more natural, he flattened it down to look presentable in public. He did a quick polishing charm on his shoes then marched out the doorway heading for his year group's common room. Draco entered the room expecting to find Hermione sitting in her usual study chair by the fire with her usual friends.

Instead, Draco found Neville, Luna, Ginny, Michael Corner, Susan Bones and Theo all scattered about the floor playing a deafening game of exploding snap. He mentally thanked the castle for the silencing ward separating their bedrooms from this debacle.

Draco's entrance had paused the game, he observed them all in various states of relaxation. Ginny most of all, she was half sitting on Michael Corner's knee, he looked pleased with himself. Susan and Luna had piled up the various cushions around themselves and made a colourful nest. Theo was stretched across the floor like a cat by the fire. Neville appeared to be the only civil one, sitting upright and leaning on the couch behind him. A bottle of firewhiskey and several empty butterbeer bottles were scattered around them along with sweet wrappers and a few escaped chocolate frogs jumping around the room.

"Well, this is an unusual sight," he said, folding his arms across his chest. "You two don't even live here, yet here you are again. Why is that? He said, nodding towards Luna and Ginny.

"Oh hello Malfoy," Luna said warmly, "There are wrackspurts around you. You ought to be careful today, I saw someone else with them this morning," she said cheerily before focusing back on her cards.

"We were invited here by our friends, not a concept you understand, I'm sure," Ginny said. "We're all doing the same year at school, it's not our fault you have to re-do the year and somehow get better rooms because of it," she snapped. Neville blushed and looked around awkwardly.

"I don't mean you Neville, just Malfoy," Ginny said.

"I would have asked you to join us Malfoy, but I knew you'd say no," Theo said.

"You're right Theo, I have more important things to do," Draco said.

Ginny scoffed. "Whatever Malfoy."

Draco cleared his throat, "I'm looking for Granger, any of you seen her?"

"She doesn't want to talk to _you_ from what I hear," Ginny said, with raised eyebrows. "Not if what she told me at breakfast is true," she glared at him.

"Yes, well she needs to get over that. I need to ask her something about our project. Can you tell me where she is or not?" he met Ginny's gaze with the same intensity.

Everyone else sat silently, waiting to see what tipsy Ginny would say next.

"If you must know, she said she was going to find her cat, I told her to give up, he's so smart there's no way he's still in the castle. I think she just wanted to be left alone for the day. If you know what's good for you Malfoy, you'll leave her alone unless you want another punch in the face," she laughed and motioned for everyone to get back to the card game.

An unexpected sinking hit the pit of his stomach. She hadn't listened to that stupid Jarvey, had she? Surely she was smarter than that? His mouth was dry. He spun around saying nothing and stormed back up the stairs. The voices of his happy classmates trailing behind him.

"No wonder he has no friends," the bitchy voice of Ginny.

"Good luck," the dreamy voice of Luna,

"You don't know him," the familiar voice, Theo.

Instead entering the green door on the left, he went down the hallway to the red and gold door on the right. Knowing she would have protective wards active, he put up a shield around himself before trying a simple _alohamora_. He shook his head when he heard the familiar click. Not wanting to touch the doorknob for fear of a curse he summoned a shadow arm to turn the handle, a wise move as it fizzled and cracked as the silky shadow glid over it unharmed. That was far too easy. Once inside, he scanned for traps and alarms, there were none. Disappointing Granger — she was off her game today.

He scanned over her things, unsure what he was looking for. It felt wrong being there. His eye was drawn to a board on the wall covered in colourful pictures, notes and creepy photos that didn't move. He smiled seeing most of the notes were about their potion. Nothing useful though. Then the glint of gold caught his eye on the desk. He saw an ornate metallic quill. How did she get one of those? He'd always wanted a Magnus Quill set. Seeing what the quill was sitting on, he shuffled the paper out from under it.

He chuckled reading the note. Granger, always so organised. She was pissed at him.

'_remember you are angry at Ron and Malfoy. Side note- Find Crookshanks- the forest map is on the 7th floor- talk to the centaur.- Conmostro. Silver birch. Well._'

It dawned on him, it was nearly four o'clock, and she wasn't back. Knowing she would have gone into the forest alone without telling anyone, he snatched the note off the desk and stuffed it in his pocket. He ran to his room and grabbed a warm jacket and scarf before racing past the stunned onlookers in the common room on his way to the seventh floor.

Glad of his recent Quidditch training, Draco arrived in front of a portrait of a furious centaur standing with its arms folded, stomping it hooves.

"You are the second person to bother me today, what is the meaning of this!" it bellowed, but lost its effect as he was quite tiny.

Draco glanced at the paper, "_Conmostro_," he said, catching his breath.

"Is that supposed to mean something to me, child?" the centaur sneered at him and turned his back.

"It's rude to turn your back on someone Sir," Draco said, speaking through his teeth with forced restraint. He clenched his jaw and pulled out his wand, holding his arm straight out in front. "_Conmostro_!" his voice echoed up the empty corridor, there was a loud crack. Then silence.

The centaur had vanished. The wall next to the painting began rippling and swirling like a mirage. As it came into focus, spiralling clouds of colour formed outlines of trees, paths and hidden things. A map.

It was as if it was a living forest, changing and moving with invisible breezes. He could hear the leaves whisper and smell fragrant pine sap. Draco looked at the paper again. "Silver birch and well?" he read out loud, frustrated at the vastness and overwhelming size of the forest. The map flashed with points of light. Was it listening to him?

Groves of birch trees lit up, as did about twenty wells scattered across the forest, he noted the only well close a birch grove. This must be where she went. He drew a rough sketch and noted how to get there, it was quite a distance — he hoped that's where she went. It would be dark in just under two hours, he would have to hurry.


	8. Chapter 8- What lies in the forest?

**Chapter Eight**

**What Lies in the Forest?**

The forest was darkening as Draco sped down another unknown path. He maintained his pace, unsure if the sun was fading, or the forest was getting thicker. He dodged the fingers of trees reaching out to him, snagging his clothes, trying to trip him.

The blood pumped in his ears, blocking out the sinister sounds of the darkness but heightening his paranoia. It was not a safe place. Why the hell would she go alone? For once he hoped he was wrong. He imagined her back at the castle and he was just crazy, or better yet, she went a short way into the forest, found her stupid cat and went home.

He regretted not telling Theo his plan—nothing he could do about that now. The junction on his crude map couldn't be far away. A grove of silver birch trees—it should be there. The path became wider. More light filtered through the ceiling of sparsely spaced trees.

He slowed his pace and began creeping through the unfamiliar woods. It was too easy to switch back to his Death Eater training. A shudder ran through him. He froze, hearing something moving up ahead. He took cover behind a tree and scanned the area for threats. Then he heard it.

A harrowing scream—the same one that haunted his dreams. His heart stopped—the forest was thrown into silence. It was her. He sprinted in the sound's direction. He darted from tree to tree, trying to pinpoint her location until he spotted something up ahead.

Red sparks were ricocheting off trees in every direction. He ran straight towards them, no longer caring about remaining unseen. He threw a shield up around himself, following the red lights.

Draco saw her.

She was on the ground with her hand clasping her wand as red sparks continued to shoot out. He couldn't see her face in the shadows. No—not a shadow. As he came closer he saw a dark spectre of silk shrouding her head and shoulders, weaving and swirling around her, slowly closing in. The darkness wound its way down, tightening and encapsulating like a constrictor of inky night.

Realisation dawned with a chill that seeped across every inch of his skin. It was a Lethifold. A dark creature, a monster from children's nightmares and something Draco never wanted to meet. He knew she only had minutes. A pain in his chest grew, crushing him with deep hopelessness.

He had never conjured a successful Patronus. With the Mark on his arm he probably never would. He was afraid to go near her, and took several paces back before stopping and telling himself to pull it together. His arms felt like gillyweed as he raised his wand to face the creature.

He tried to think of the first night he and Theo spent in Muggle London, the day they realised they were finally free of the Dark Lord and their families. "_Expecto Patronum_!" he choked out.

A small wisp of silver swirled out of the end of his wand. He tried two more times, each with the same result. Just like every other time, he failed.

His head was a whirling mess of panic, he tried to pull the creature off her. He knelt in the dirt as his fingers dug deep into the flesh of the shadow, only to have them go right through. He could feel her underneath, but couldn't grip the thing, it was like trying to catch mist. He swore at himself. _Just do one good thing for once_. For a second, the creature stopped swirling, it hissed and began weaving around her faster.

He looked at her hand just poking out, still gripping her wand. He thought how beautiful her hands were, remembering how they looked when she wrote notes, and how that day in the potions room she touched his arm, how the warmth had run through his body. Images of all the times she had been kind flashed across his vision. The day at the Three Broomsticks, sitting in the booth laughing with her. He realised that was happiest he had felt in years.

He scrambled to his feet and stumbled across the uneven ground. Standing up tall he filled his lungs and heart to bursting point. He summoned the wildness of the forest and all his will power, channelling it into one, pure happy feeling—_Hermione_—he shot it at the vile creature. "_Expecto Patronum!_"

An enormous silver raven erupted from his wand. It began circling Hermione and the darkness—it wove streams of glowing silver threads around them in a web of magic. Without warning, it turned and shot up toward the sky, through the treetops pulling the trail of glowing rope behind it. The threads tightened as the raven climbed higher, spinning faster and faster as it rose—up and up, well beyond the treetops.

The threads squeezed—light sliced through the Lethifold, splitting it into shards of nothingness. It was if it had never been. Hermione fell solidly against a tree, her body released from its suffocating grasp.

Draco rushed over before she hit the ground. Catching her, he pulled her off the cold dirt onto his lap. He couldn't tell if she was breathing, her chest wasn't moving and he couldn't feel any breath from her lips.

His Patronus returned from the sky at the same death-defying speed it had ascended. It was rocketing straight down towards them. He glanced up. It didn't change its course or speed. It was heading right for them and it was too late to move.

Draco leaned over Hermione and squeezed his eyes shut. He felt the wind knocked out of him. He sat up gasping. _Had his bastard Patronus just tried to kill him?_ He opened his eyes trying to catch another breath. Hermione did the same. To Draco's relief her chest was rising and falling, struggling to get large gulps of air. The silver raven had disappeared.

"Breathe Hermione, just breathe, you're okay," Draco struggled to calm his voice.

Glassey eyed, she looked up at him. His hand rested on her shoulder, the other stroked her hair, unsure what else to do. She gave a weak smile and closed her eyes. Her breathing recovered to a normal pace. She felt for his hand on her shoulder and laced her fingers with his and squeezed. If it weren't such a horrible situation, he would have laughed—she was trying to reassure him.

She tried to sit up. Draco eased her into a sitting position with her back against the tree. He took off his coat and draped it over her. She was shivering. He sat next to her, with their shoulders touching.

"Thank you," she let out a sob and pushed her face into his shoulder, "I was so sure I would die, and no one knew I was out here." He felt the hot tears seep through his shirt.

"I'm glad I found you when I did. It was close." He pressed his cheek to her head.

Time passed as if they were in another world confined to the small forest clearing, it felt like death touched every side. As if he was waiting, wronged by the narrow escape of a victim.

Draco felt a cold chill run through his bones, and not from the cold.

"We should go. You're cold, and it'll be dark soon. Do you think you can walk back?" Not wanting to push her, but knowing they were nearly out of time and things could get much worse.

"I can walk," she replied, her shoulders rising and falling as she tried to control her tears, she rubbed her face then wiped her eyes.

Draco stood up and offered a hand. She let him help her up. Her other hand locked her wand in a death grip. She leant on Draco to steady herself, checking her legs would hold her up rolled her shoulders back, shook out her hands and stood up tall. She gave Draco a reassuring smile then walked a short way past a lone oak tree to a crumbling stone well, a detail Draco didn't notice earlier. The scattered contents of her bag lay amongst piles of rocks. He helped her gather everything up, and she re-packed the bag.

"I'm ready, let's go home," she said with all the appearances of someone who'd woken up from a nap, no hint of the near-death experience.

"You're full of surprises Granger," Draco smiled despite feeling like he might be sick any minute. In return he received a shaky smile from Hermione. After this experience, he suspected she was the real hero of the golden trio.

They set off down the same forest path. It looked different. The golden glow of last evening light filtered through the moving ceiling, leaving tiny shards of light scattered across the forest floor. This made the shadows seem much darker. As they continued through the trees the shards of light became tiny dots. Flecks of hope disappearing.

Draco felt Hermione move closer. Though the sun hadn't set outside the forest, as they moved into the thickest part, it might as well have been midnight in the depths of the trees. Draco held his wand out with an intense _Lumos _lighting their way. It frustrated Hermione when she couldn't light her own. She seemed to have enough trouble lifting her feet. After tripping over several tree roots, Draco took her hand and guided her down the path.

After an eternity of walking through a very dark hell, they saw the faint light of the lawn peeking through the trees. Draco squeezed her hand in reassurance. They had made it. They stopped at the edge of the forest to return their appearances normal. Though it didn't do much good as their clothes were more dirt and twigs than clothes. He picked a few leaves out of Hermione's hair, he could have used magic but didn't trust himself at that point, he was exhausted and having trouble lifting his own wand.

"I'll take you straight to the hospital wing, come on, not far to go now," he said as he tried to brush the mud off the knees of his trousers.

"No, I just want to go to bed, really I'm fine," she said, her eyes pleading with him.

"But you could have brain damage or something from nearly suffocating, plus you must be pretty bruised up and cut from smashing against the trees with that thing on you," he said, not convinced.

"I think I'd know if I was brain damaged Draco. I just need to sleep, I've been through worse, I'll survive." She shrugged and started dragging herself up the lawn to the castle.

"Suit yourself, everyone should be at dinner so we can sneak back in easily enough," he said, keeping pace with her.

He was right, they managed to get up to their dorms and through the common room without meeting anyone they knew. The stairs were a problem. Draco ended up supporting Hermione with her arm around his shoulder until they made it to her red door. As soon as she stepped into the room, she knew her security wards had been set off.

"That was just me," Draco confessed, "I was in your room trying to find out where you went, turns out I'm a good detective," he said, as he eased her down onto the bed. "Plus your security sucked, too easy, Hermione."

"Any other day and I'd be mad. But you did save my life. You'll have to tell me how one day, when I'm not so tired." She yawned and hugged the nearest pillow, squishing her face into it. "I didn't think I was coming back here again," she said, starting to get teary.

"No more crying!" Draco said firmly. "I'll do a quick diagnosis spell on you to make sure you aren't dying because I don't trust your judgement right now, and I don't want the blame for your death after we made it this far."

She nodded and sat on the edge of the bed while he scanned his wand over her. It wasn't anything fancy, he only had basic healing knowledge, though he was glad he had made himself learn it during the war.

The end of his wand glowed a warm yellow. It would change to different colours indicating what was wrong with the person; dark red for broken bones, pale violet for minor bruises, deep purple for internal bleeding, dark green for infections, the list went on. There were hundreds of varieties in the shade and tone of the colour emitted; it took a lifetime to learn the detailed diagnoses. Most people used a colour chart, but Draco didn't have one on him.

He scanned the wand over her, hoping for the best, knowing the deeper, darker shades of any colour were the ones to look out for. So far, so good, there was a lot of pale violet, one spot of faint red on her wrist (maybe a sprain) and dull silver, indicating cuts and scrapes — no serious damage.

"I didn't know you knew healing magic," Hermione commented as he finished up the scan.

"I don't, but this has been useful countless times. Your wrist is sprained but other than that you have minor bruises and scraps all over you. You should clean up the worst cuts now but most can wait until tomorrow. You'll be hurting in the morning."

She winced. "I'll strap the wrist in the morning, not the first time I've done that."

"Do you need anything? You should get into bed," he said.

She looked at him and bit her lip. "I don't want to have a shower, but I want to be clean and I don't to be alone right now." She eyed every shadow in the room then looked at the state of her clothes and groaned, "I'll clean up here then change, will you come back and stay with me? Just till I go to sleep?" she began picking twigs off her shirt sleeves.

"Sure, I wouldn't want to be alone either. I think I'll fear shadows for the rest of my life. I can't even imagine how you feel. Do you want me to go find Ginny or Looney?"

"No, I don't particularly feel like explaining this to anyone else. Can you stay? You don't have to though," She sounded confident but Draco saw through it, she really didn't want to be left alone.

"If you want me to." He stood up, "I'll go get changed then be back in ten minutes, will you be okay?" he asked.

She nodded, biting her lip. "See you in ten."

Draco washed up and changed into grey sweat pants and a black zip-up hoodie, an outfit he reserved for days locked in his room working or reading undisturbed. Precisely ten minutes later, Draco knocked at her door, hoping none of their dorm mates would walk past. Hermione quickly opened the door, and he slipped inside. She reset the security wards, adding several extras. She didn't meet his eyes as he followed her into the room. He could see her hands shaking.

She stood by the bed wringing her hands.

"You get into bed," he said, nodding toward the puffy covers eyeing them enviously. "I'll sit next to you and read. And you should eat one of these sandwiches. Theo left them in my room."

She got into bed without arguing, and the plate appeared on her lap. Leaning back in the bed, she started nibbling a ham and cheese sandwich. Draco arranged himself in the pillows next to her and helped himself to a sandwich off her plate. They sat in silence both eating slowly, the bread felt like chalk in his mouth. He knew he was hungry, he just didn't feel like eating.

Next to him, Hermione startled giggling. He looked over and raised an eyebrow.

"It's just so weird," she said in between giggles. "Me and you sitting in bed together having a picnic after nearly dying, what is the world coming to?" she couldn't stop laughing, this caused her problems eating the sandwich.

Draco wasn't sure what to do, his usual instinct was to walk away from a hysterical woman, at least she was happy now.

"You are quite strange Hermione," he continued eating the sandwich.

She recovered herself and wiped tears of laughter from her eyes, "I noticed that—that you call me Hermione now," she said, sitting upright once more.

"Keen observation skills you have," he said.

"Don't think I've forgotten what you did to me yesterday, winding Ron up like that. Very old-school-Malfoy of you." She put the plate on the bed in front of her.

"Clearly, your memory brain cells weren't damaged by oxygen deprivation, pity that. I hoped you'd forget. However—you may also recall I got you a thoughtful gift—so the two things balance out." He used his wand to remove the crumbs from the bed.

"I forget nothing, Draco, and I do like the necklace." She handed him the plate, "I'm going to sleep now, if you leave, please don't turn the lights off," she said as she pulled the big duvet right up around her neck and burrowed in, she turned to face the wall.

"Night Hermione, I'm happy you aren't dead," he said as he placed the plate on the bedside table. A sudden thought popped into Draco's head. Theo. He would probably check if Draco had come back. Shit—oh well. There was nothing he could do about it now. Theo should be smart enough to see that Draco had been in and eaten the sandwiches. Hopefully leave it at that without asking where he went. Theo always asked questions. Draco sighed, he arranged the pillow to optimum reading height, and he settled in on top of the covers.

From the lump of blankets he heard a sleepy voice, "Hey Draco—how did you get rid of the Lethifold? Can you summon a Patronus?"

Nothing got past this woman. Draco turned to face the voice. "Apparently I can," he answered. The realisation finally hitting him. He had done it. Years of trying to summon a Patronus and all it took was a hopeless situation and someone about to be killed. If he never had to summon a Patronus again, he was fine with it.

"I knew you were a good person, Draco," The dreamy voice said. Its owner slipped off into the realm of sleep.

**Any one else doing NaNoWriMo? I'm in full swing of Preptober and plan to get as much of this story posted as I can before November starts. Thank you for the comments Summer78 and Lillith1 **

**Happy reading!**


	9. Chapter 9- A Waking Nightmare

**Chapter Nine**

**A waking nightmare**

Hermione woke up gasping for breath, she threw the thick covers off—suddenly aware of every shadow. She scanned the room, glad the lights were all on. Turning to her side she saw Draco, she bit her lip to stop a smile, relieved he had stayed. An open book was draped across his chest as he slept, still on top of the duvet. Her breathing slowly returned to normal. Somehow the nightmares didn't seem as scary with someone else was in the room.

As she let herself relax into the pillow, she felt the injuries from the day catch up with her. Her neck was stiff, her throat raw inside, her joints ached—her wrist hurt, and her skin felt like an apple, dropped too many times. She stretched awkwardly, trying not to disturb Malfoy but unable to get comfortable. Her muscles started to twinge, an involuntary spasm froze her calf muscle—the first sign. No, not now, she thought to herself as she squeezed her eyes shut.

She propped more pillows around herself then rubbed the stiff muscle, hoping that was all it was. The pain in her joints grew more intense, her calf muscles locked as she fought back a whimper. Electricity shot up her spine, locking it in an excruciating arch. It came all at once. All she could focus on was pain—pain in every inch of her body. Her nerves screamed at her, connecting like electrical fire to every muscle cell.

She didn't hear herself scream, but she knew she had. Red and black sparks exploded inside her eyelids—the only sound was the thumping pulse in her head. Unaware of time passing the torment felt endless.

Then darkness. An unexpected icy, numbing sensation coated her forehead and trickled down the back of her neck and spine. Her own muscles holding her captive set her free. She relaxed. Hot tears escaped her eyes, her body was too weak to move. She let the sensation of relief sweep all the way to her feet. A distant voice spoke to her, then felt the same icy calm envelope her knees, elbows and lower back.

It took time for Hermione to draw herself back to a conscious state. She began her test of wiggling her fingers and toes as she usually did. Once they were functioning, she creaked her arm into action allowing the pain to shoot up her limbs—knowing she had to get past that point to move again. It was always better to do it sooner rather than later. She put her hands up to her eyes and removed the flannel covering her forehead.

Malfoy was leaning over her, close enough to see the beads of sweat that dotted his forehead. "You had me worried there. That seemed bad," he said. Hermione noted the subtle waver in his voice.

"No worse than usual." She glanced at the glowing clock on her bedside table, wanting to reassure him. "Though that was the fastest I've ever recovered. How did that happen?" she asked, examining her knees and elbows covered in blobs of green, eucalyptus smelling jellyfish. She realised the helpful jellyfish were all over her.

"It's a cooling balm that Snape invented, it's been a lifesaver for me. Lucky for you, I always have it on me." Draco said, showing her the tub of green goo.

She winced, trying to move to a more comfortable position—there wasn't one. "Thank you. It's amazing, you must teach me to make it," she said, trying to mask her discomfort. She shifted to her side and felt herself wince as she let out a squeak, tears welled up. "Sorry, I hurt everywhere."

"You've had a terrible day, and now night—try go back to sleep," Draco said. Hermione wondered if this was the Draco she knew at all. She was thankful he hadn't made her go to the hospital wing, she was much better off in her own room. A fresh spasm of pain jarred her from her thoughts.

She choked back tears. "I can't, I need the Dreamless Sleep." Her eyes flicked to the bedside table.

"This won't help you in the long run—tomorrow we start the detox," he said as he reached over and picked up the bottle. He sounded like he meant it. She nodded, accepting the bottle from him, silent tears running down her face.

As she took a sip from the tiny vial, she told herself this was the last time. She handed him back the bottle, "You can sleep in the covers, it's much warmer," she said before closing her eyes and falling back onto the pillow. She let the calm, relaxing wave wash over her. She could feel her heartbeat slowing, each beat echoing in her ears. The warm embrace of the Dreamless Sleep cocooned her, willing her to drift into oblivion, she was more than happy to oblige.

* * *

She awoke with the feeling that something wasn't right. Bright yellow sunlight flooded the room, that could only mean one thing—she had slept in. Sitting upright in a panic, she forgot about the injuries she had collected the day before. She let out a yelp as she leaned on her bad wrist and felt every inch of screaming muscle as she tried to free herself from the blankets, jellyfish blobs in piles around her.

"What are you doing Granger," a voice mumbled from under the blankets.

"We slept in!" she said, shaking Draco's shoulder. Aware of how odd the situation was, but too panicked to care. With her side against the wall and her lack of functioning limbs, it was tricky to get out of bed unless he moved. "Oh no, we missed Transfiguration!"

He didn't budge. Hermione clumsily shuffled to the end of the bed and scrambled across his legs to get out, forcing her stiff muscles to cooperate. She checked the time. They had definitely missed Transfiguration—it was already mid-morning. She didn't have any other classes until after lunch, she took a few deeps breaths and forced herself to stop panicking, there was nothing she could do now. Leaving Malfoy in bed, she gathered her shower things and a fresh school uniform—a slow process without the use of her left hand. Her body protested every move she made.

Hermione stood under the hot water, imagining the steam floating into her head, washing away the horrible events of the day before. The warmth flowed over her muscles in temporary relief. She would've loved a bath but didn't want to risk getting stuck and needing help to get out. She thought again how odd it was that Malfoy was in her bed.

She walked back into her room and kicked the door shut behind her, dumping all her shower items on a chair. Malfoy rolled over at the sound of the door slamming, he rubbed his eyes slowly opening them. How was he so calm about missing class? He yawned and stretched, as if was a perfectly normal place to wake up.

"I need coffee. Don't go anywhere." He slid out of bed and opened the door before peering out into the hallway and disappearing. She shrugged to herself then opened a large tub of bruise balm that smelt of oranges and cloves, she dabbed it on the numerous purple blotches that she could reach. She examined the cuts and scrapes scattered across her arms and legs, none were too bad. One she put dittany on, the others she covered with a variety of Disney themed plasters. That made her feel much better.

Less than ten minutes later, there was a knock at her door. Malfoy had two cups of coffee and was dressed in a clean uniform with his sleeves casually rolled up. Hermione instinctively tensed when she saw his exposed tattoo, then quickly forced herself to relax. His willingness to show the tattoo must mean he was comfortable around her, he wasn't doing it for a spiteful purpose, she figured it was a good thing.

"Well, are you going to let me in?" he asked, looking up and down the hallway. She gestured that he enter, and he handed her a coffee. She sat back down at her desk and took a sip.

"This isn't Hogwarts coffee, it's amazing!" She said smiling into the coffee cup. "Where did you get this?"

"Secret, Granger," he said as he sat down on the bed. He gave a quizzical look at the multitude of colourful plasters covering her arms, but said nothing about them. "I can fix your wrist. Well, I know a spell that won't fix it today but will speed up the healing."

She agreed and moved to sit next to him cross-legged on the bed so he could perform the spell. He rolled up her sleeve and placed her arm on top of his own, his hand cradling her elbow so she wouldn't move. He paused for a moment, frozen at the sight of her skin. His fingers traced the letters of the scar on her forearm—_mudblood._

"It's cursed," Hermione's voice cracked as she spoke. "I can't remove it."

She glanced up at Draco—she didn't need to be a legilimens to know what he was thinking.

He said nothing, the pained expression on his face said it all. Hermione felt an ache in her chest, she put her free hand on his knee, "There was nothing you could have done Draco. I don't blame you."

"I should have done something," he said under his breath, gripping her elbow tighter. Then as if snapping out of a trance, his face turned blank—like nothing happened. He did the diagnostic scan again, before performing the healing spell. Hermione remained silent.

As the glow from the spell faded she relaxed in Draco's grip, their arms rested in a cross. She studied their equally cursed, blemished arms, thinking it strange seeing them together. Two sides of a cursed coin, both so similar.

She moved her arm to get a better look at Draco's Dark Mark. As she ran her finger across it he flinched but didn't pull away. It had a pulse of barely detectable dark magic emanating from the tattoo. The hair raised on the back of her neck. She squeezed Draco's hand. His look told her not to feel sorry for him, she didn't speak and let his hand drop to his lap.

Hermione eased off the bed, she felt like she was as patched up as would likely get. She busied herself, searching through a draw for her wrist brace, she would need to wear it all week. They finished their coffees in pleasant silence.

Draco stood up to leave, taking Hermione's cup. "I didn't forget about your detox," Draco said, "I meant it, that was your last one. We need you healthy by the end of January, that's just over three months. It sounds like a long time, but it's not that easy," he said. "Here take these, you'll need them." He dumped a pile of pain reliever potions out of his pockets onto the bed. She would need those over the next few days.

Draco was about to leave when an unexpected knock sounded at the door. Hermione flashed a look to say 'hide'. He got the message and slipped behind the door. Hermione darkened the room and cracked the door. It was Ginny.

Ginny peered into the dim space, "Funny, I thought I heard you talking to someone," she said, eyes narrowing.

"Nope, just me," Hermione replied. "Maybe I was talking to myself again, I do that sometimes," she let out a nervous giggle.

Ginny was checking to see if Hermione was okay. Hermione told her she had a migraine and was sleeping it off but would be in class in the afternoon. Ginny, being much more useful than her last set of friends, duplicated her Transfiguration notes and homework instructions for Hermione—which she was grateful for.

She said goodbye to Ginny and quickly closed the door.

"You suck at lying," Draco said.

They waited a minute for Ginny to go, then he slipped out the door.


	10. Chapter 10- Detox is a bitch

**Chapter Ten**

**Detox is a bitch**

The first week of detox was a living hell for Hermione. She missed the brain clouding, the comforting feeling that wrapped around her body and made her fingers tingle and floaty, the way she could drift away at night worry-free—she missed everything about the Dreamless Sleep. This was now replaced by a constant pounding in her head, along with unexpected waves of nausea, muscles that felt like someone pummelled them with a meat mallet and the constant anxiety that she would never sleep again in her life.

The first three days were the worst, she made it to classes that Monday afternoon, but it was all downhill from there. Sleep hadn't come to her that night, an army of nightmares came in wave after wave. The next day was dreadful, the Cruciatus symptoms gathered and attacked in full force. Two days in bed left Hermione in a state of defeat. All she could do was huddle in bed shivering, trying not to move. Even the slightest limb movement could set off a ripple effect of perpetual muscle cramps. The constant sour taste in her mouth never left, and she vomited up everything she tried to eat. She wanted it all to end.

Her only respite was her small TV, VCR player and collection of Disney movies, that, and Draco. He had lived up to his promise to help her, whether it was out of the goodness of his heart or for the greater good of the potion, she really didn't care. As much as she hated to admit it, she needed the help. There was no way she would have done it alone, it was too horrible. It would have been easy to give up and find one more tiny bottle of the wonderful potion. She knew Draco had taken them all. It if were any of her other friends, she could have bullied or guilted them into getting her more Dreamless Sleep.

If Draco could do it, so could she. She wasn't sure why she cared so much about what he thought of her, was it about proving she was as good as him, or not appearing weak? She wasn't sure, but knew she wouldn't give up because of it. The whole time he had said nothing mean to her, in fact, he had been over the top helpful. Dropping in to bring her food (not that she ate it), he had worked out how to use the VCR, so she didn't have to get up to put on new movies, he bought her more cooling jellyfish balm and sat with her after numerous Cruciatus relapses. He also covered for her in class and gave her detailed updates on what she had missed out on.

Draco wasn't the only one concerned about Hermione. Ginny had stopped in several times bringing homework and trying to get her to go to the hospital wing. Hermione didn't want Ginny to know what was wrong, that would lead to their friends knowing, as well as the whole Order of the Phoenix, that was the last thing she wanted.

By Thursday, the tremors had dropped to shakes, the blinding headaches turned to a weak hammering of her brain and her muscles had graciously allowed her to walk again.

Hermione decided that was functional enough to attend a potions class in the afternoon. By the time she reached the Dungeon, she was doubting her initial assessment. She stepped in the room and instantly felt Draco's eyes on her from the back of the class. She shot a weak smile at him, a failed attempt to indicate that she was fine, he crossed his arms and glared at her, not buying her act. She moved to her usual bench at the front next to Ginny, forcing herself to smile and act normal as she sat down, fighting a wave of dizziness.

Hermione struggled through Slughorn's lecture, she gave up on trying to take notes, unable to control her shaking hand. It was so hot. Ginny gave her a concerned look as she took off her thick winter robe and put it on the bench next to her books. Why was everyone wearing so many layers? It was sweltering. Slughorn gave them orders to start on their potions. Hermione pretended to read through the method, she didn't think she would make it to the storeroom without collapsing. She took off her thick, wool sweater. Ginny didn't move either, turning to face Hermione instead.

"You shouldn't have come to class, you're still sick," Ginny said, putting her hand on Hermione's forehead. "It's freezing in here, you feel like you're on fire. Want me to take you to see Madame Pomfrey?"

"Maybe I should go back to bed," Hermione said weakly.

"No excuses this time, I'm taking you to the hospital wing."

Before she knew it, Ginny had informed Professor Slughorn that Hermione was sick and packed up both of their bags. Ginny helped her off the stool and shuffled the two of them out the door, draping Hermione's arm over her shoulder for support. It was a slow trip up the stairs from the dungeon, the hospital wing was not close. They carried along silently, focusing on one step in front of the other until Ginny spoke.

"You're not pregnant, are you Hermione? You know my mum got sick whenever she was pregnant."

"What. No, Ginny, I'm not pregnant." Hermione said.

"Are you sure? I don't know what you're up to half the time anymore."

They continued at a Streeler's pace, making it to the ground floor. With several staircases and hallways to go, Hermione needed a rest. "Sorry Gin, this is frustrating," she said, trying to catch her breath, her legs feeling like they'd been replaced with Bubotubers. Loud footsteps closed in on them.

"Need a hand?" a familiar voice rounded the corner.

"Yes. Please," Hermione leant against the wall, trying to motivate her legs to walk again.

"Not from you," Ginny said, flashing a look of surprise at Hermione.

"You take the bags Weaslette, and I'll take Hermione," Draco answered.

Ginny looked between the two, eyes narrowing as Hermione put her arm around Draco. "Why are you letting him help? What are you playing at Ferret?" Ginny said.

"It's okay Gin," Hermione went back to concentrating on forcing her legs to walk, not noticing how unusual this situation would appear to anyone else. She didn't care, she just wanted to lie down.

"Interesting, you must tell me about that sometime," Ginny said, less than impressed, following with the bags.

They reached the hospital wing. Madame Pomfrey didn't comment but raised her eyebrows upon seeing the girl's and their unlikely companion.

"See, told you it was weird," Ginny whispered to Draco as the Matron helped Hermione into a bed. Ginny explained how Hermione had been sick the past week, Draco added in how much extra schoolwork Hermione had been doing. Madame Pomfrey, much to Hermione's embarrassment, also asked if she could be pregnant. Hermione once again denied it. Suddenly wishing Draco wasn't there. A diagnostic test followed to prove this, plus a full-body check using the same spell Draco had performed the weekend before.

Madame Pomfrey put everything down to exhaustion due to stress, a likely story for anyone who knew Hermione. Most of her bruises and cuts had already healed, and she wasn't asked any followup questions.

Hermione half-listened to the conversation while she snuggled into the crisp hospital sheets, regretting her choices in leaving her bed. Why did she always have to push herself?

She heard Draco giving rather forceful instructions to Madame Pomfrey, she half-opened her eyes to try make sense of what was happening.

"Do not give her Dreamless Sleep," he said clearly. Hermione winced but couldn't amount the energy to add to the conversation.

"I will not be spoken to in such a way, young man. She is clearly exhausted and needs proper rest, it is the best thing to help her."

"I don't think you're hearing me, she can't have any! Under no circumstances will you give her Dreamless Sleep," Draco repeated.

"I have been given no such instructions, and as the only medical professional here, I shall decide my own patient's treatments. I will ask you to leave now."

Hermione attempted to sit up, "No he's right," she said in a faint voice, "I can't have any Dreamless Sleep Madame Pomfrey. I think I just need to rest, you're right I think I've overdone it a bit this week," she said, hoping that sounded believable.

Ginny glanced between her friend and their supposed enemy, Hermione noted the suspicion, and betrayal in her eyes.

"Well dear, the best I can do is make you a ginger, lemon and honey tea for the sickness, and I'll put a bit of chamomile in it to help you sleep, how does that sound?" Madame Pomfrey said in a changed tone as understanding flashed across her eyes. Hermione looked at the Matron and smiled, wanting to express her hidden thanks.

"Sounds lovely, thank you," Hermione said quietly.

Madame Pomfrey shuffled off to make the tea leaving Ginny and Draco standing there glaring at each other. Hermione couldn't keep her eyes open but continued to listen.

"You better tell me what's going on Malfoy," Ginny said.

"Nothings going on. Just wanted to make sure my potions partner doesn't die, so I'm not left with all the work," he replied.

Hermione peered through half-open eyes, not wanting them to see her watching. It was too much effort to get into a fight. They were well matched in stubbornness. She saw Draco turn to leave and give Ginny a wink as he went.

Hermione smiled to herself when she saw Ginny stomp her foot, both hands clenched into fists by her sides. Ginny came over to Hermione and patted her hand, "get some sleep, I'll come see you in the morning."

* * *

True to her word, Ginny appeared at breakfast time the next morning. Hermione had slept through the night without Cruciatus relapses and only one nightmare. It was the best she felt in days, exhaustion had won out.

Madame Pomfrey was a brilliant woman and gave Hermione several herbal remedies to put in teas to help ease her muscles and aid her sleep naturally. Hermione was grateful for the Matron's discretion and not having to explain herself. Ginny ate most of Hermione's breakfast and helped her back to her room once granted the all-clear to leave. Hermione was given strict instructions to stay in bed all day and take it easy over the weekend.

On the walk back to her dorm, Ginny questioned her about Malfoy, Hermione dismissed it, explaining they were working on their complicated potions project, that was all. Ginny let it go, but Hermione could tell from the look on her face she wouldn't drop things that easily.

Hermione did as she was told and stayed in bed without trying to go to class, although she worked on one Transfiguration essay for fun.

The next day was Saturday. Hermione stayed in bed till noon and moved to her desk to work for the afternoon. Ginny brought her up meals, keeping a very close eye on her. Madame Pomfrey began stopping in as she was 'passing by' with more herbal remedies and bland snacks. Hermione appreciated all the help, she wished she had listened to Ginny and Draco and gone to the see Madam Pomfrey sooner. She scolded herself for being so proud, stubborn and untrusting of people who just wanted to help.

* * *

By Sunday, Hermione was sick of her room and needed a change of scenery. She went down to the common room and joined Theo and Neville at the big table. She worked on the same Ancient runes project as Theo; Neville was working on Herbology.

Several productive hours later, Hermione stretched and said goodbye to her friends. She was feeling good but knew it could change quickly. The others went to lunch, she went back upstairs for a nap.

It was late afternoon when Hermione woke to loud knocking at her door, checking her watched she cursed herself for sleeping so long. Draco stood at the door with a bag of popcorn. She took the hint and invited him in, he was an excellent distraction to stop her falling asleep again.

Draco had a new addiction to movies. He was obsessed with the stories, moving pictures and fascinated by life in the Muggle world. Hermione found it hilarious— she was happy to share her films. Watching Draco learn new things and realise what he had been missing out on was great entertainment.

That afternoon she selected Men in Black to watch, knowing it was something he would enjoy, she had forced him to watch Beauty and the Beast, and Aladdin several times already. Hermione rearranged the bed with the back wall all pillows. They both sat on top of the duvet, leaning back into the pillow wall with shoulders just touching.

The TV was perched on the bedside table, Hermione watched Draco out the corner of her eye. He eyes lasered in on the movie. He leaned in, yelling at characters and hitting a pillow when something dramatic happened. His behaviour surprised Hermione, she had never witnessed unrestrained Draco before and wondered if this is what he was really like. Free of his parents and other pressures, he seemed to let himself have fun.

Draco scanned through her stack of movies as she put Batman into the VCR.

"There was a TV in my hotel room over summer, I just realised I could have been watching it the whole time instead of working on this potion. A whole summer wasted." He shook his head looking genuinely put out.

Hermione giggled, "Working on the potion seems far more productive if you ask me."

"You need to sort out your priorities Hermione," he looked at her shaking his head again. She threw a pillow at him. He ignored it as it bounced off his head.

"We have to show Theo this at some point," he said more to himself than Hermione as he jumped back on the bed and made himself comfortable, indicating that Hermione should hurry up.

"Shut up, it's starting," she as launched into pillow mountain next to him.

A short way into the movie, there was knocking at the door. Draco mumbled for them to piss off as Hermione shuffled off the bed and opened the door a crack to see who it was. Ginny put her hand on the wooden frame and poked her head in. "I need to talk to you, I'm not stupid Hermione I thought about everything that happened and I know you were taking Dreamless Sleep. You stopped, didn't you? That's why you're so sick?" Ginny blurted out.

Hermione opened the door and dragged her inside. "Well, you didn't need to yell it in the hallway!" She slammed the door.

Ginny's eyes went straight to Draco, "I should have known you'd be here. I was right. You two do have something going on."

Hermione rolled her eyes, "No, we don't. Draco has been helping me. I don't want everyone to know Gin, you need to keep this a secret."

"Do you mean keep your lover Malfoy a secret or the Dreamless Sleep?" Ginny said.

"Both," Malfoy said, lounging across the bed.

"You are not helping," Hermione flashed him a look.

"Ginny, stop looking at me like that."

"Do Sirius or Harry know about this?" Ginny asked.

"No."

"You should have told me, I could have helped."

"You did help, I just don't want them all knowing," Hermione said.

"Shut up you two," Draco said, "Some of us are trying to watch a movie."

Ginny glared at him, then turned back to Hermione. "I don't like this, but I'm glad you're getting better. Let me know if you need any help. But only if he's not around." She nodded in Malfoy's direction. She turned towards the door then leaned in close to Hermione. "Watch him. Don't do anything stupid, you know we can't trust him."

"Get out Ginny, I'm not doing anything stupid."

She slammed the door as Ginny left and slumped back into the cushion pile on the bed. Ginny had a knack for winding her up, and now Harry would know everything. Ginny never kept her mouth shut.

She tried not to think about it and focused on enjoying the movie. The distraction worked, one and a half films later, both Hermione and Draco were asleep. She woke in the night to find a blanket draped across her and Draco asleep next to her with his feet sticking off the edge of the bed. She smiled, rolled over and went back to sleep with ease.

* * *

Another week passed, Hermione was feeling much better. Most withdrawal symptoms had gone but left her with the Cruciatus relapses. They hit her almost every night now, leaving her exhausted and sore the next day. She started dreading the mail arrival at breakfast, each time expecting something from Harry or Sirius, knowing Ginny's news would have reached them by now. Instead, she received something much more personal.

It was Saturday morning, and Hermione was sitting at the Ravenclaw table, eating a leisurely late breakfast with Luna. As she poured a second cup of tea, she saw Luna staring at the entrance to the Great Hall with a strange look in her eyes, Hermione followed her gaze.

"Hermione, isn't that Sirius Black?" Luna said.

"Shit," Hermione muttered under her breath. Though happy to see him, unexpected never meant good. But you never knew with Sirius.

Sirius stood for a moment near the door, scanning the room before Hermione waved out. He strode over, unaware that every set of eyes in the Great Hall were on him. He reached Hermione as she was stepping over the bench and picked her up to spin her around in a big hug. She couldn't help but squeal, as he released her he gave her a big kiss on the cheek. She smiled and hugged his once more.

"I can't believe you're here Sirius, what are you doing?" she asked.

He put his arm around her and lead her back to the bench to sit down across from Luna.

"Hi Luna, good to see you," he said warmly. Still not noticing the whole room looking at them, though Hermione was highly conscious of it now. Especially one set of eyes from the Slytherin table she avoided.

"It's nice to see you, Sirius, you're looking quite lovely," Luna said in a floaty voice.

"Thank you, Luna, you and Hermione are looking quite lovely yourselves," he said, helping himself to some fruit off Hermione's plate.

Everyone heads turned to the clicking of heels on the stone floor coming towards them. Professor McGonagall appeared at the table next to them.

"And what might you be doing here Sirius Black?" She asked as if addressing a student.

"You know me, Minerva, not much to do, so thought I'd stop in to see my favourite girls," he stood up and gave her a big kiss on the cheek. Hermione and Luna giggled. The students on the other tables looked shocked at seeing the notorious Sirius Black apparently good friends with their Headmistress.

Professor McGonagall gave Sirius a warm hug, then straightened her robes. "You are most welcome here Sirius Black, it's always lovely to see you. Please stay for breakfast. I have some business to attend to now but please come and see me in my office before you leave. I'm glad to see you looking better, Hermione," She walked off, with a glint of a smile in her eyes.

The hall went back to its usual level of noise. Sirius joined the girls for breakfast making full use of the multiple breakfast options while complaining that Harry never made him waffles. Before long, Ginny and Neville joined them, Ginny rushed over to give Sirius a big hug, Neville shook his hand and sat down next to Hermione.

Hermione noticed the subtle giggles and stares being shot at Sirius from around the room. Funny to see most of the students in awe of Sirius, he had always just been Sirius to their group, she sometimes forgot that to most of the population he was a mysterious and dangerous ex-convict, not to mention a rich bachelor the media couldn't get enough of.

Hermione saw Sirius tense up as Theo walked over to the table, making a beeline for them. Hermione put her hand on Sirius's arm, seeing him go for his wand. "Hey Theo," she said, getting in before Theo or Sirius said anything. "This is Sirius Black—Sirius this is Theo," she introduced them. "Be nice," she whispered in Sirius's ear.

Theo held out his hand, "Nice to meet you, Sirius Black," Theo said. "I've heard a lot of stories about you."

Sirius chuckled, "All bad I'm sure—you're a Nott, right?

"They were bad—my family really hates you—hated you. I hear you're a Ministry snitch now, a lot of people hate you actually," Theo said as he squeezed in the small gap between Neville and Hermione, stealing her glass of orange juice as he did so, he took a sip then put it back down in front of her.

"Ew I don't want that now," she commented and pushed it back to him.

Sirius eyed up Theo, "All true, I'm more than happy giving information to get those bastards locked up," he said, not at all phased by Theo's statement. "We can't choose our families mate, and I'm not in the job to make friends."

"Fair enough. Can't say I was sad to see my family brought to justice," Theo said.

"Aren't your family mostly dead, Theo?" Luna asked.

"They certainly are Luna," Theo said as he helped himself to breakfast.

Hermione looked at Sirius and shrugged. Sirius got chatting to Ginny about Harry and his Auror training, Luna and Neville listened intently. Hermione turned to Theo. "I can't help but notice Draco giving our table death glares, what's up with that?"

"I'd say he didn't much care for your reunion with Mr Black here. Jealous if you ask me," Theo answered.

Hermione blinked in confusion. "Why would he be jealous? He's creeping me out. Should I go tell him to stop, I can't eat when he's staring like that?" she said.

Theo shrugged, "I asked him if he wanted to come over here with me, but he just grunted and told me to piss off."

"He's not very pleasant in the morning, is he? I better not go over, everyone's already paying our table too much attention, I don't want to cause another scene." Hermione said. As if Draco had heard her, he got up and left the table scowling. Hermione looked at Theo and shrugged.

"I'm going to steal Hermione if that's alright," Sirius said, the group nodded and went back to eating.

* * *

Hermione and Sirius went up to her common room. She declined his offer of walking to Hogsmeade or the Lake, well aware how fatigued she got now. With everyone at breakfast, they had the room to themselves to talk. She made them tea and sat next to Sirius on the couch closest to the fire.

"Hermione, why didn't you tell me about the Dreamless Sleep? I would have helped you," Sirius looked her straight in the eyes.

"I guess Ginny talked to Harry after all," she said, looking down at her cup. "I thought it wasn't a big deal and I could handle it on my own—turns out, it got a little out of hand. But I'm okay now—I'm getting better, you don't need to worry Sirius."

"Just because you think you can handle something on your own doesn't mean you have to."

"I know, and I had help. A lot more than I expected actually," she said, not wanting to look at him. "I haven't had any of it for two weeks. Just having a bit of trouble sleeping and a few Cruciatus kickbacks, not much I can do about that," she leaned her head back in the couch and looked up at the ceiling.

Sirius slid over and pulled her into a hug. She tried not to cry—it was nice having him there.

"I missed you, Sirius," she said, burying her face in his chest. He wrapped his arms around her, she could feel tears creeping out.

"I missed you too, love." He rested his chin on the top of her head.

She unwound herself from his arms and sat up, feeling silly, but much better. She wiped her eyes and finished her tea. They chatted for the next hour, catching up on everything Sirius had been doing at Ministry, he asked about her classes, she told him about her classwork, her study for Newts and how she might have to do some work over Christmas. When she started stretching and moving to ease her muscles, Sirius said it was about time he went and harassed Professor McGonagall.

"I think I need a rest, Sirius, thanks for coming to visit," she said.

"Maybe I should come more often, the food's pretty good," he said, leaning back in the soft chair. "It's free too."

They both stood up and moved towards the door.

"Can't wait to have you back at Christmas," he said. "I'm glad you have someone looking out for you here." He kissed her cheek and gave her a quick salute in farewell as he slipped out the door.


	11. Chapter 11- A Quill with Secrets

**Chapter 11**

**A Quill with secrets**

Draco and Hermione had few chances to meet during the school week, both had full schedules and mountains of homework. They had created a roster for checking the potion ingredients every day, only one of them had to be there at a time. That left them with either early mornings or late nights to discuss and work on the potion report. Draco preferred the late night choice, there was no way in hell he was getting up early. Hermione was far too happy first thing in the morning, it wasn't natural.

Hermione's room had become the unofficial meeting point. Partly because of her strange attachment to her colourful post-it notes. The multicoloured tags covered every page of every document in their draft report, it was a complex formula of organisation that only she understood. Many of the notes had migrated up her walls into a web of research and reminders, Draco imagined the inside of Hermione's brain to look very much like that wall.

More than a month had passed since the day in the forest. Hermione told Draco she felt bad that he had done all their potion preparation while she was sick. She had gone overboard in trying to make up for it. He didn't mind and admitted it was much easier with two of them working on it and much more fun.

"You know what that quill is, don't you?" Draco asked Hermione as they sat at their research operation headquarters. She was twirling the golden quill between her fingers, he'd noticed her using it several times now.

"Yes, it's from a fancy set that Mrs Weasley gave me for my birthday."

He took it out of her hand. "That's not just an ordinary quill. It's a Magnus quill. It has a partner, yes?" He turned it over, examining the fine golden vane.

"It came with four."

"You don't know what they do?—So the Gryffindor Princess doesn't know everything," he said, swinging back on the chair.

"Don't swing on that and stop looking at me like I'm an idiot," she scolded. "If you know what they do, just tell me. I made no indication that I know everything. I'm not perfect like you Mr I'm-the-best-at-everything."

"I see you're catching on," he ignored her sarcasm, "Get the other one out, Princess, and I'll show you."

She narrowed her eyes and reluctantly got the box off the shelf. Draco knew her curiosity always won out. She picked out the silver quill as he selected two blank pieces of parchment. He gave one to Hermione and held his hand over the other, lightly gripping the quill. "Now write something," he said.

She raised her eyebrows at the command but did as he said, copying a line from a textbook on moon-flower seed uses. As she started writing Draco kept his eye on her, while his hand wrote with a mind of its own. She kept looking out the corner of her eye at his paper. She finished the sentence and leaned over his arm to see his page.

It was her exact handwriting and the exact sentence she wrote. She stared at it.

"The quill will write whatever its partner is writing." He offered the obvious explanation. "Here you try." He placed her hand on the page and loosed her grip, "Just hold it loosely so it can do its thing, don't grip it," he instructed.

He turned back to his parchment and started writing. Hermione stared at her hand in amazement as the quill gently pulled it along. It was as if she had never seen magic before, her mouth was wide open, her eyes locked on the quill in fascination. His elegant letters formed on the page in front of her. He smiled at her reaction, the new form of magic captivated her and she hadn't notice what he had written.

He looked at her, waiting for her to read it.

She read it, half laughing, half choking. _Draco Malfoy is my saviour and hero. It is both an honour and privilege to work alongside him on his genius potion. He is the greatest wizard of all time. _"Ha, you wish!" she said. "It's your handwriting, it just looks like you wrote that about yourself,"

"But it was your hand that wrote it," he smirked at her, knowing it was childish but still very much enjoyed it.

"Whatever, I already knew how much you love yourself. So how do these work? How far can they go from each other? Should we try it?" she said.

"Calm down. You've seen unusual magic before, I'm not sure why you're so amazed. I can't believe you didn't know about these. But, lucky for you, I do." he rolled his shoulders and pulled up his collar.

She rolled her eyes at him, "Fine, tell me."

"These quills can work across huge distances, across seas even. They are very rare and expensive," he said in a low, story telling voice. Her eyes shone as he spoke, he could hear her brain whirling, thinking of all the possible uses. "It is said that a pair of mysterious birds, mated for life, each give a feather to make a pair of quills, the species that gives the feathers is a long kept secret. The quill shares a deep magical connection with their partner and contain their own magic. No one knows how they work but after a long time they can become attached to a particular person and won't work for anyone else."

She held the gold and silver quills together, studying them as a pair. "That's amazing. Mrs Weasley must have thought I'd know what they were," she said.

Draco watched as she sat thinking for a moment, she tilted the quills to catch the light on the gold feather. "I'll have to give one to Harry. Then we can always write to each other!"

"Will you give one to Sirius too?" he asked, clearing his throat that was now dry and uncomfortable.

"No, Sirius is terrible at writing back, it would be a waste. You should take one! It would make it so much easier for sending notes to each other about the potion, especially over Christmas."

Draco swallowed his surprise, that was not what he expected, though was pleased to hear it. He felt lightness flow through him.

"I'm not sure Hermione, they're more of a special occasion thing, not a working tool." He was surprised she would offer such a thing and hearing himself turn it down was even more surprising.

"Nonsense, you take this one." She handed him the silver quill, and as he picked it up their fingers touched.

"Thanks," his fingers tingled with energy.

She tilted her head as if confused for a second. "You better look after it." She said, the warning mixed with a smile.

Before he left, he showed her a spell to hold the quill upright, a cheat so you could leave it when you didn't want to sit there. It was a good way to leave notes when the other person wasn't with their quill. He left with a warm feeling in his chest and a silver quill in his hand.

* * *

A few weeks had passed since Hermione gave him the quill. They'd only used it a few times for messages about potions notes, he had seen her using the gold one in class and thought it would be funny to use his at the same time to mess up her work. But he didn't do it. His younger self wouldn't have hesitated, he decided it was because he didn't want her to take the quill off him.

Draco sat at his desk with his head in his hands. It was some ridiculous late night hour, he groaned and checked his watch, it was 3am. He debated with himself about using the quill, she could be awake? He could hear Theo's voice in his head ' nothing good ever happens after midnight Draco'.

He had tried to hide it from Hermione, but his own Cruciatus rebounds were getting worse, slowly grinding him down. Not as severe as Hermione's attacks or as frequent, but he was barely getting through the school days, he had no idea how she did it. His fake act of strength got both of them through her Dreamless Sleep detox, he knew that adding his problems to hers would have only made her worse. If someone needed help, she always put the other person first, he had worked that out by now, she couldn't help it.

She didn't need his burden, but tonight he was at his limit. He had a Cruciatus attack just as he went to bed. He had stayed on top of the blankets half dressed, too weak to move for what seemed like an eternity, until he fell into a sleep plagued with his recurring nightmares.

It was dark when he woke up covered in sweat and shaking. He turned on every light in the room and lay there, aware of every screaming muscle and aching joint in his body.

It was hours later and he still couldn't stomach the thought of attempting sleep. He held the silver quill in his hand. At least if she were still awake, he could talk to someone, distract himself. It was worth a try. He put the quill to the parchment.

_Granger, are you awake?_

He waited a minute, no answer. He wished he had her TV, he could do with a distraction right now. His brain felt too fried to read or do anything that involved concentrating.

_Hi. I__'m awake. Rough night too?_

She was awake. Now what? His overcooked brain decided now was the time to get answers, no more waiting.

_Is Sirius Black your boyfriend? _

She wrote back after a long pause. _God no! Why are you asking?_

He smiled, feeling a lot better. _Just wondering. You and him seem close. You talk about him all the time. Good to know._

She answered back - _Good to know, why?_

Draco: _Good, because you not having a famous ex-convict boyfriend means I__'m not at risk of being murdered for going to your room at three am to watch a movie. _

Hermione: _I assume that__'s your way of asking if you can come over to watch a movie?_

Draco: _I thought that was obvious._

Hermione: _Whoever said Purebloods had a good upbringing and manners was clearly misinformed. _

Draco smiled to himself. _Please, most revered Princess of Gryffindor, Miss Hermione Granger, only useful member of the Golden Trio, may I humbly trespass upon your hospitality and beg the favour of watching a movie in your most favoured company? Sincerely, your humble servant, Draco Malfoy_

Hermione: _You__'re an idiot Draco. See you in five. _

Feeling less sick and dizzy than before, he peeled off the cooling balm he had applied earlier and changed out of his sweat-soaked clothes. He used a quick cleaning spell on himself before putting on a fresh pair of loose pyjama bottoms and a black t-shirt.

He made the quick dash down the hallway to Hermione's room, regretting the choice not to put on socks as he danced on the freezing stone floor outside her door. She opened it and as he stepped toward the doorway, he noticed her twirling the cat charm on her necklace, the room smelled of fresh ink and parchment, he could tell she hadn't gone to bed yet. She was wearing short pyjama bottoms and a t-shirt with the word Nirvana on it and a picture of a man's face, she had some strange fashion.

"So you're scared of Sirius," she said, smiling as she let Draco into the room and locked the door after him.

A shiver ran through him as he moved into the warm air. "I'm not scared of him. I just wouldn't have come here if you were going out with him."

"That's never stopped you before. Why'd you think that anyway?" she asked as she jumped back onto the bed and wrapped herself in a blanket.

"Rumours. Plus you talk about him all the time," he said. His feet were freezing, he climbed over her legs to the far side of the bed and got under the covers, she was used to him doing that by now. He noticed the look of concern on her face.

"What rumours?" she asked.

"People have been saying you're with him. I mean you live with him, that's no secret, and anyone who saw that display in the Great Hall could make up their own mind."

She frowned then leaned over the side of the bed to the pile of videos and started sorting through them.

"Why are you here, Malfoy?" she asked. He watched her select a video.

"I couldn't sleep," he answered. She folded her arms and looked at him.

"I couldn't sleep, and I thought you might be awake too. I wanted to watch TV, it was too quiet in my room."

"Fine, but we're watching Aladdin again," she said as she fed the tape into the VCR.

He didn't argue, pleased his icy feet were warming up. With a flick of her wand, she turned off the lights leaving them in the glow of the small TV and the soft lamp on the desk. His nightmare long forgotten, he let himself relax, her bed was far more comfortable than his own. The anxiety and tension melted away.

"Thanks for letting me stay, I'm glad you were awake," he said. It was much easier to say that in the low light.

"You're welcome Draco." She turned onto her back to look at him. "I always sleep much better when you're here."

"Well, feel free to invite me to your bed anytime," he said, trying to sound suggestive.

She reached back and hit him in the head with a cushion. "I'm too tired to hit you properly." She turned on her side to watch the movie. But instead of curling up on the edge as she usually did, she shuffled back to the middle of the bed.

It was time he took a risk. He waited a few moments before he shifted towards her, the space between them evaporated. He slid his arm loosely across her waist, his fingertips brushed the skin where her t-shirt had twisted up. He fought the urge to pull her closer.

The moment her hand found his, he forgot everything. She pulled his arm tightly around her, entwining her fingers with his, she moulded into him. He forgot the aching muscles, the nightmares, the exhaustion, as his chest pressed against her back, he curled around her, wondering if he was in a dream. Her hair was in his face, that didn't usually happen in the dreams.

Perfectly cocooned and content, his brief cloud of amnesia ended. The exhaustion returned and trampled over Draco in full force. He couldn't have moved, even if he wanted to. His chest rose and fell against her, their breath slow and in unison. She smelled of jasmine and something familiar, a smell he could always recognise her by, his brain was so fuzzy he couldn't think what it was. He was so comfortable, so at home and so tired. Hermione was asleep. He smiled into her hair and felt her soft skin as he closed his eyes. He drifted into a nightmare free, curse free sleep.

* * *

"There are people out in the hall, why won't they just leave," Draco said, standing with his ear pressed against Hermione's door. She squeezed herself in next to him to listen.

"You should have gotten up early instead of sleeping in," she said.

"I expected you would wake me up and kick me out."

"I needed sleep too Draco—okay sounds clear, make a run for it now," she said quickly.

"See you in class this afternoon," he said before cracking the door open an inch, the hallway was empty. He stepped onto the bone-chilling stone and turned to shut the door, his eyes met hers for a split second, she looked at him as if she were about to say something, but changed her mind. She smiled and shut the door.

Before he could take a step, Pansy walked around the corner. Her eyes narrowed and her lips pressed flat. She stopped in front of Draco and folded her arms, a fake smile plastered across her face.

"Well, well, well, my _darling_ Draco. Did I just see the one and only Malfoy heir sneaking out of the Mudblood's bedroom?" Pansy looked both pleased and disgusted with her discovery.

Draco caught himself before he bit Pansy's head off, he knew anything he said would make the situation worse. She had an innate gift for twisting words. "Leave it, Pansy," he said, he started walked back to his room. She followed.

"What will you do to keep me quiet then? We could come to some sort of arrangement?" she said sweetly.

"No. There will be no _arrangement_, I will not play your games or allow you to blackmail me. Goodbye, Pansy." He reached his room and stepped inside, silently removing the wards. Before he could shut the door, Pansy grabbed his arm. "What would your parents have to say? They would never allow this."

"I don't give a shit what my parents say. They are in Azkaban, and I'm out here. I can do whatever I like. Goodbye." He shut the door in her face.

He heard her stomp her foot, "You'll be sorry you didn't take my offer, Draco."

Draco pressed his forehead onto the door, cursing Pansy and his own bad luck. Pansy was a Slytherin through and through, he was in trouble.

* * *

**Hope you liked that chapter. Thank you to Roser Black, A Strawberry and Guests who all left lovely comments, reading them made my day. More chapters coming soon, happy reading. **


	12. Chapter 12 Whispers

**Chapter 12**

**Whispers**

Whispers surrounded Hermione all day. In the halls, at lunch, in class, she couldn't escape it. She could feel the anger blistering under her skin, what the hell did Draco tell everyone?

She had walked with Luna and Theo from Ancient runes to lunch. As she ate in silence she stewed about the comments she had overheard. Then, on their way to Transfiguration, more murmurs and mumblings. Voices mentioning her name jerked her attention with every step.

"I heard she was seeing Sirius Black, he won't be happy about this,"

"That's Hermione Granger, I thought she had higher standards than that,"

"Sleeping with Slytherins now, how could she go so low?"

"I've read Daily Prophet stories about her and Ron, Harry, Viktor Krum _and_ Sirius Black, she's a bit of a slag if you ask me."

"Look, she's walking with his friend, maybe she's sleeping with him too?"

Giggles, looks, whispers haunted her with every step. She glanced over at Theo and glared at him. "Hey, I didn't start these rumours," Theo said as they got closer to their classroom.

"Well, who did? I'm too old to be dealing with this high school bullshit. I'm here to study," she said as her nails bit into her palms.

"Rumours often come from jealousy or spite I've found," Luna said calmly.

"Yes, Luna, very insightful but not helping," Hermione replied.

"Hey be nice to Luna, she didn't do anything," Theo said, "It's probably someone who wants to make you look bad, you do get a lot of positive coverage in the media being the '_golden girl'." _He added his own air quotes. "It's probably someone trying to get to you, just ignore them."

"You're right Theo, I have no time for this. It will blow over soon enough," she said, trying to convince herself it was true.

They entered the classroom and headed towards their usual desk at the front. Hermione and Theo sat down, Luna sat behind them, saving a seat for Ginny. Hermione let out a silent exhale of relief as Professor McGonagall entered the room, causing an instant blanket of silence to fall. At least she could relax for a while and enjoy a nice lecture.

It didn't last as long as she hoped. Halfway through the lesson the classroom was bustling with activity and noise as everyone tried to turn hedgehogs into pincushions.

Hermione felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to face Ginny. "I got to the bottom of the rumour, Hermione," Ginny whispered.

"What was it?" Hermione asked, knowing full well Theo was listening while pretending to have trouble changing his hedgehog.

"Apparently, Pansy caught Draco sneaking out of your room this morning," Ginny said as she turned her hedgehog upside down so it couldn't run away, it's tiny legs franticly running in the air.

"That's absurd," Hermione said, willing her cheeks not to go red. "Pansy's always hated me, no one should believe her."

Ginny eyed her carefully and raised her eyebrows. "Whatever you say, Hermione. The rumour mill has it in for you this month. First Sirius, now Draco. No one will know what to believe."

"Well if anyone knew the real me, they would know not to believe any of this nonsense!" she snapped at Ginny.

"Hey, calm down. I believe you if you say it's not true. But you know you can talk to me about anything, right?" Ginny poked at her hedgehog who clearly wanted to stay a hedgehog, it had somehow turned upright and was rolled in a tight ball.

Hermione let out a breath, this wasn't the best place to talk. She put a freezing charm on her hedgehog as it tried to walk off the edge of the desk, she pushed it back to safety with the end of her wand. "Can I Ginny? Last time I told you something I got a little visit from Sirius, if you recall, I'm sure that's what started all this."

Ginny had the decency to feign submission. "Sorry, Hermione, I only wanted to help. I only told Harry."

"Well next time, don't!" She turned back around and focused on her hedgehog, she ignored Theo's attempt to catch her eye. Her mind was scattered, instead of a pincushion her hedgehog turned into an over-sized marshmallow.

She spent the rest of the lesson trying to turn it back. It wasn't working. She felt like her blood was about to boil over, she was hot and flustered, she dropped her wand once and knocked hers and Theo's books off the table with an enthusiastic wand action. Nothing was going right.

The lesson was finally over, Hermione was vibrating with anticipation to get back to her room and escape the day. Sanctuary. She was near her limits of dealing with people, feeling tension in all her muscles and joints, she wondered if they could actually snap. As the class packed up, McGonagall's voice once more silenced the room.

"Miss Granger if you would see me in my office before dinner please, I need to have a quick word."

Everyone looked at Hermione. Her cheeks grew warm. "Yes, of course, Headmistress," Hermione replied, her stomach was churning, and the dreaded hand tremors had returned. "Shit," she whispered under her breath so only Theo could hear.

He gave her a sympathetic look. "Thought your day couldn't get worse, huh?" He gave her a kind pat on the shoulder as they parted ways.

She walked back to her room, fighting every cell telling her to run there and never come out. Unable to focus on the Charms revision she was doing, she instead wrote up a section of the potions report on the intended effect of each ingredient. Once finished she sat up, straight and alert, pleased with her progress.

Checking her watch for the thousandth time, she decided she might as well go see McGonagall and get it over with. Hopefully she could have an early dinner, or perhaps avoid it altogether.

Hermione checked the routes to the Headmasters office on the map before leaving. They were all swarming with students. Selecting the shortest route, she power walked her way through the hallways, ignoring comments and whispers from both paintings and students.

She reached the Headmasters office, spoke the password (_Felis catus_)and let herself in when the door told her to enter. Her shoes echoed on the stone as Professor McGonagall gestured for Hermione to sit across from her at the large desk. The office felt different. The books were a lot more organised than when Professor Dumbledore was there and there was less clutter, it had a more feminine feel about it. The fragrance of freesias filled the air, the smell hit her with a vivid memory of her Mum. It was a good memory but her chest tightened at the reminder that her Mum didn't know who she was anymore.

Hermione was snapped out of her memory by McGonagall's sharp voice. "Hermione dear, do you know why I've asked you here today?"

"No, I can't think why. My grades are fine, and I've been keeping out of trouble." Hermione answered honestly.

"Your grades are impressive, as always. No, I have asked you here because of some talk I have been hearing. Now I am usually one to stay clear of schoolyard gossip, but this has reached a level where even the staff are mentioning it. Now it may, or may not be true, I'm not one to say. But it must stop. You are a role model for these young girls, and as a public figure, you need to be setting a good example.

"I've heard talk about you, first involving Sirius Black and now Mr Malfoy. I don't know nor do care whether it is true, but this must come to a stop. You must attempt to keep your private life more private or save it for outside of the school. This sort of thing will die down in the school eventually, but if it makes it to the Daily Prophet, it could do real damage to your reputation. Do you understand that?"

Hermione swallowed and felt her face turning red, "Yes, Professor."

"You are too young to have idle gossip destroy your career prospects. I'll talk to Sirius as well."

"Please don't talk to Sirius, I'll see him in a few weeks at Christmas. He's always in the papers though, it's hard to avoid when you live with him. This is just school gossip, it will die out soon enough," Hermione said.

"And this talk of Mr Malfoy. Be very careful with him, Miss Granger." Professor McGonogall looked over her glasses with a stern look.

A ripple of anger moved from Hermione's shoulders down her spine. She fought to keep her voice calm. "We're working on a potions project together, he's a good partner. He's not like his family, you know." Hermione said, quickly tiring of the conversation and peoples opinions of Draco.

"Yes, well. Look after yourself, I know it's been a hard year, but you have done so well. I am here to talk if you need it—remember that. Off you go now, get some dinner."

She stepped out to the hallway and decided against going to dinner. As she wandered back to her room, she took the longer route to avoid people. Just how long could she avoid the school for? She wondered.

* * *

Hermione swore as the empty glass flask she had been carrying smashed onto the floor. Just her luck. Without moving her feet, she pointed her wand at the glass shards raising them into a swirling vortex in front of her, the eerie green glow from the window glinted on the glass as it spun around in a mesmerising glittery cloud. She imagined what it might feel like to put her hand in it. She refrained from doing so, instead, she melted the glass back into its original flask shape before lowering it to the table.

She didn't notice the figure watching from just inside the doorway.

"Impressive Granger, an awe-inspiring display of theatrical magic," Draco said, placing his bag down on the workbench. "You've been avoiding me."

"Yes, for good reason. I will not fuel this gossip," she said as she wiped her hands and tried to remember what she was doing before she broke the flask.

"Sorry about that. Pansy did, in fact, see me come out of your room." He sat down and rested his elbow on the bench, chin in hand as he watched Hermione work.

"I figured. She always had it in for me. You, on the other hand, I thought she liked you. I recall a time where she informed the whole school you were getting married after graduation." She looked over at him trying to gauge his reaction. As usual he gave nothing away.

"Yes well, that was more a family thing than anything to do with me. Now that my family are disgraced and imprisoned, marrying me seems to have lost its appeal. Not that I'm complaining," he said.

"Well, let's just make sure we aren't in public together anywhere, okay?" She remembered she was meant to be rotating the valerian roots they had left whole. She moved the tray off the shelf and set it on the bench before going to find the copper tongs.

"Fine. You know a lot of girls would still pay to be seen with me in public," he said, still leaning on his hand making no attempt to help.

"Good for them," she said as she found the tongs in a box where they didn't belong. She crossed the room again.

"Are you mad at me? You know I didn't tell Pansy, she really did catch me sneaking out of your room, it's not like I could pretend I wasn't," He grabbed her arm as she walked past.

She spun around, forced to meet his eyes. "No, I'm not mad at you. Just the situation. Just be more careful leaving in the future."

"So there's a future? You like me staying over," he teased.

She twisted out of his grip in a neat twirl and went back to the other bench to start turning the shrivelled roots, they were only a few days away from being ready.

"Yes, I like you staying," she said, focused on the roots to hide her hint of a smile. "To be honest, it's the only time I get a decent sleep."

Draco joined her at her bench and nudged her shoulder. "Me too," he said as he reached up to slide the trays off the high shelf Hermione couldn't reach. He set the tray down next to hers and pulled out a secret set of copper tongs. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye suspiciously, he was smiling.

* * *

The last two weeks of the school term went by sluggishly, the river of gossip had died down to a smaller stream of manageable whispers. Hermione still felt an uneasy prickling in her scalp every time she passed a group of shifty eyed girls. She was getting better at ignoring it.

Hermione and Draco had spent every spare minute grinding down their dried valerian roots into powder, a tedious task that could not be sped up with magic. They had to do both the whole roots, and the sliced roots amalgamated with the dragons blood and vinegar. Every ingredient they needed for their potion had to be multiplied by twenty. They needed enough for multiple trial batches with varying concentrations of the main ingredients. Brewing them all would be a long process.

They were finally ready. Every shelf in the room was lined with jars and vials, each filled with precisely measured ingredients of everything they could possibly prepare in advance. The fresh ingredients would have to be cut when needed, but they had done enough preparation as humanly possible and completed the research and method portion of their extensive report. Hermione had made templates and tables for recording their progress and results, she had even made blank graphs and charts ready to fill in once they analysed the data. They were over and above prepared.

They planned to meet on the 22nd of December. The only thing left to do was get a few spare ingredients from Sirius's stock and then sneak into Knockturn Alley in disguise, buy the illegal seeds without being reported and get back home in one piece — easy.

Hermione was looking forward to getting home for a nice quiet break.

* * *

**Hi everyone, thanks for continuing to read ****. I just got the Prisoner of Azakaban illustrated version, the art is so beautiful! So I'm re-reading that right now, not sure how many times I've read the books….so good!**


	13. Chapter 13- Knockturnal Madness

**Chapter 12**

**Knockturnal madness**

A chilling wind swept through the narrow alley. Hermione stood in the shadow of a stairwell beneath a boarded-up shop. She was one minute early, hoping more than ever that Malfoy would be on time. He usually was, but that didn't stop the nervous energy building inside her. She tried to look natural, sure the people walking by were staring, though it could have been her imagination.

A loud pop startled her, and Draco was next to her in the doorway.

"A bit jumpy Granger," he said, smoothing out his expensive-looking robe. "Nice look, though."

Her hair was black, and she had gone to great lengths to straighten it. She went heavy on the eyeliner and was wearing a black cloak with a large hood.

"I'm not taking any chances Malfoy, we can't be recognised here. Can you put a hat on or something, please?"

He sighed and changed the colour of his hair to match hers, he added a beard, a moustache, and a set of very dorky glasses. Hermione forgetting where they were for a second burst out laughing.

"Ha ha, I know I look ridiculous, that's the whole point. No one would expect a Malfoy to lower themselves to this look, but here we are."

She wiped a tear from her eye, the wide smile was hurting her jaw but she couldn't stop it. "I'll remember this always."

He folded his arms. "Are you finished now?"

"Yes, let's go." She forced herself back to mission mode.

"I still don't know why you insisted on coming with me. There's not much point risking both of us," he said, taking her arm to spin her around the right way, he steered them toward Druggan and Sons.

"I told you, I want to see the shop, there could be things in here that I could never buy anywhere else," she said excitedly. "Plus, to keep an eye on you."

They found the shop without drawing any unwanted attention. Mr Druggan, though creepy, was very helpful. He wasn't at all phased by Draco's disguise and seemed more than pleased to assist the Malfoy heir, despite their family's recent setbacks—as he put it.

Draco used this to his advantage, he rattled off the long list of ingredients for the potion and to make soothing balm. They also stocked up on pain reliever potions, Dittany and Pepperup, Hermione thought the last one might help with their night brewing sessions.

The wiry man gathered everything up and wrapped it in separate brown paper packages. When it came time to ask about the moon-flower seeds, there were no issues. He had their pre-order wrapped up ready to go, no questions asked, perhaps because he charged three times the normal price for the seeds. They were in no position to negotiate.

Draco decided they needed to upgrade their standard school equipment. He bought a new set of every key piece of apparatus they would need. New scales (expertly made and fine-tuned by goblins), stirring rods of the highest quality, a set of self-sterilising silver measuring spoons (each spoon had a different zodiac animal carved into the end), and a beautiful set of self-cleaning laboratory glassware. Hermione tried to argue, but knew it was pointless. She was shocked to see the bill they accumulated, it would have been several months of wages for Mr Weasley or the average Ministry worker, she couldn't help but feel a little guilty. But admitted to herself she really wanted the new equipment, it would make their lives much easier and their brewing far more accurate.

Draco refused the money Hermione offered and paid for everything himself. Knowing he was too stubborn to argue with, she focused on shrinking everything to fit in the bag she has brought just for the occasion. They thanked Mr Druggan and said goodbye. The shop keeper seemed quite satisfied, after all they had overpaid for the moon-flower seeds and spent a great deal of extra money. It should be enough to keep him quiet about their activities.

Hermione bounced out the door into the dim alley. She was bubbling with excitement, they actually had the seeds and it was so easy. Draco following close behind looked his usual indifferent self, his emotions masked further by his disguise. She smiled to herself, she had spent weeks worrying about this day for nothing.

As soon as she stepped onto the flagstones of the street her elation instantly drained away, something wasn't right. She shot a look of panic at Draco before grabbing his arm and running down a narrow alley behind the shop. She crouched down and pulled Draco alongside her.

"What are you doing crazy woman?" Draco was not pleased at being dragged away.

"Shut up," she said. "Something isn't right." Something in her tone made Draco listen. She the same feeling the day the snatchers appeared and took them—a pain in the pit of her stomach mixed with darkness and dread. She placed a concealment charm over them both and assessed the alleyway for exits. Unsure what they were hiding from, her instinct was telling her to get out.

She heard a loud crack, the sound of a large group apparating at the same time. Hermione and Draco crept across the alley, then pressing against the wall, made their way to the corner to peek around. Draco looked around first.

"Shit, it's Aurors," he said looking back at her. "They're raiding the Dragons Bane Inn."

She tried to think fast. It was most likely a planned attack or raid, that meant anti-disapparition nets or disapparition tracking would already cover the area. Her brain was buzzing, thoughts muddled in her head. Her hands were shaking. She let out a breath and shook her head to try clear her it.

"Right. They'll be busy there for a moment, but they'll check these side alleys soon to catch escapees. If we get onto the roof, we can make it to Diagon Alley by dropping in behind the shops. We just need to get two hundred meters that way," she said, pointing where they needed to go. She eyed the stone wall in the darkest part of the alley and motioned for Draco to follow her. He nodded, his eyes had turned dark, the cold focused look sent a shiver down the back of her neck.

They crept to the end of the alley. Hermione glanced back to check no one was following. She heard loud blasts as people smashed into the net and were hurled back in their attempts to disapparate, she winced, knowing from experience how much that hurt. Screams and explosions followed. They got louder fast, it sounded as if people were fleeing the pub into the street. She hoped no one came their way.

They reached the wall, Draco helped push her up first. He then took a few steps back and ran at the wall with his wand facing down, then with a leap and a mysterious jet of wind he was right next to her. She noticed his beard, moustache and glasses had disappeared; it was hard to hold a transformation spell if you weren't concentrating. She hoped her hair colour spell held.

"How did you do that?" she asked.

"Just get on the roof," he said, hurrying her along. They balanced their way across the wall and hauled themselves onto the roof. Black smoke rose above the street, the billowing clouds were lit from within with flashes and sparks of colour—rainbows inside a lightning storm. She knew it was much more sinister, she recognised the echoing colours of killing curses and nightmarish spells she had witnessed before.

Hermione placed a silencing spell around them, just in time. Her next step sent her crashing into the barely attached shingles as she tripped over her own foot. A cascade of ancient roof tiles hurtled towards Draco. He slammed his foot out to stop them as he froze the rest with a freezing charm. He remained in place as Hermione attempted to glue them back to the roof with a sticking charm.

She looked down at Draco and cringed, "Sorry," she mouthed silently.

He just looked at her and shook his head. Once the tiles were stuck in their new disorderly positions, Draco climbed on hands and knees after her. They made it over two more shop without any problems. Hermione started doing sticking charms on shingles before crawling over them, proving a much safer way to travel.

Hidden in the shadow of a rooftop spire, they took the chance to peek over the side. Knockturn alley was swarming with Aurors. They seemed to have apprehended the main targets, but the fighting continued. They quickly slunk back to the shadows. She wondered if Harry was down there.

The junction of Diagon Alley was just up ahead, they were aiming for the point behind the shops, near the meeting point of the two streets. They had a lot of silent roof climbing to do before they made it that far.

Aurors wouldn't normally worry her, even in Knockturn Alley. But the fact that she was in disguise and in possession of several restricted substances was a strong motivator not to get caught, especially in her present company. She wanted a job when she finished school, not to be in Azkaban.

They inched their way along the row of roofs. A few sections had gaps over smaller alleys where they had no choice but to jump. Hermione's hands were sweating, and her toes tingled at the thought. She paused eyeing up the first jump, it seemed to have grown larger since she stood there. Draco was right behind her. She took two steps back, then launched herself across the rift.

There was a loud crash and sparks exploded around her. Tiles were cascading, and it wasn't from her landing, someone was firing at them. Draco appeared next to her, indicating now was the time to run. She didn't need telling twice. They ran. Sparks and explosions followed them, ricocheting off the guttering and flying above their heads. The kept low as they ran. She realised the Aurors was still on the ground.

Silence was no longer a priority, they scrambled and leapt across the rooftops. Hermione made the jumps without hesitating. Shingles clattered around them, causing her footing to slip in several stomach dropping falls. Draco picked her up pushed her to keep going. She risked quick glances behind her, knowing whoever was following them would soon be on the roof.

They kept running, Diagon Alley was so close now, she could see the back of the shops. Hermione covered her eyes and froze as several tiles exploded in front of them, showering them in shards. She put a _protego_ around them unsure how well it would hold while running. She shot back a _confringo_, a massive explosion followed but not in the right place. Someone was still chasing them. Draco was firing hex after hex behind him, two of their chasers fell back, hit by whatever Draco was shooting, two continued the pursuit.

Their attackers were gaining on them. They were so close to making it, only one roof to go before they could jump down. Hermione had one last idea. She dropped to the next roof and as she landed, she turned and knelt. Her eyes focused on the rooftop she has just jumped from.

She could hear Draco yelling at her, trying to get her up to leave. Ignoring him, she fixated on the roof before her and focused her energy into every tile, and every surface as she cast a _Gemino_ curse. She spun around to move but something hit her. She stumped onto hands and knees from the impact.

Dizziness overwhelmed her as she stood up. Draco caught her arm and dragged her across to the other side. This was the end point, they had to jump. Hermione swayed when she realised just how high it was, glad Draco was still holding her arm. She looked down at piles of rubbish, hoping they contained something soft. Behind her, she could hear the roof tiles multiplying and the two men shouting as they tried to escape her curse.

"Hold on Princess," Draco said as he wrapped his arms around her. "There's no other way down."

He shifted both their body weights forward, took a step out and plummeted off the roof. Hermione squeezed her eyes shut tight, she had no time to think before the fall. She did a silent cushioning charm as they dropped, but felt more like a prayer than a spell, wholly based on the faith of not dying when they hit the ground. She could feel it coming. The inevitable crash. She braced herself. Instead, there was a swoosh of wind roaring in her ears. Then the thud. Not at all what she expected. It felt as if she had rolled off a couch onto carpet.

She opened her eyes and found herself lying on top of Draco, his arms still wrapped around her. She couldn't believe they were alive.

"I can't breathe Granger, get off," he managed to squeeze out.

She quickly rolled off him and redid the concealment charm. Draco remained lying in the rubbish pile, Hermione knelt next to him.

"Are you hurt?" she said, "hurry up, we need to get moving."

"No, I'm fine, just knocked the wind out of me," he said taking in deep breaths and wincing as he stood up. She took his hand and half stumbling, half running, pulled him across Diagon Alley to hide behind the Post Office. Owls were darting in and out above their heads. Hermione felt like her heart might explode. She took a deep breath and assessed the situation. Draco was leaning on the wall with his eyes squeezed shut.

"We just need to get to the Leaky Cauldron, and out to Muggle London, then we can run a few streets, and it should be safe to disapparate. That will take us out of the Aurors tracking range." She said confidently but felt like she was about to throw up.

They checked the coast was clear, then in a restrained walk, made their way up the street to the Leaky Cauldron. No one was following them. Hermione tried to maintain composure as she opened the door to the pub and attempted to walk through at a non-suspicious speed. Draco followed close behind, they both kept their heads down.

The pub was relatively empty, no one took notice of the pair in black as they casually wandered through the room and out onto the streets of Muggle London. They couldn't relax yet. Hermione gestured for Draco follow her, as she wove her way through the slow-moving traffic, she noticed he was limping. They passed several streets, keeping up a quick pace until they reached a quiet lane between two tall brick buildings. She slowed her pace and turned down the side street to take refuge behind a large skip bin.

Hermione doubled over, fighting to catch her breath and not vomit. Draco appeared to be doing the same.

"Holy shit, I can't believe we escaped them," Draco said between breaths. Despite the freezing air his forehead was covered in sweat.

Hermione crouched next to the bin and leaned against the solid brick to keep herself upright. "Now they think we were Death Eaters! This looks so bad Draco, where can we go now?" she said, trying not to panic.

He grabbed her hands and pulled her to her feet. "I've got somewhere, hold on." He wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in close. She felt her stomach drop and heard the familiar crack.

She blinked and opened her eyes to see they were in a hotel room. She didn't care where she was at that point as she let the relief wash over her. Immediately spotting a bed, she moved straight towards it, sure her legs were about to fail her. She sat down and let her body fall back. She screamed as her shoulder hit the soft mattress.

It felt like fire searing into her shoulder blade. She bolted upright, unsure of what just happened. Draco appeared next to her on the bed.

"What the hell was that Granger? You scared the shit out of me, what's wrong."

"I don't know," she said. "It's my shoulder, it feels like it's on fire or someone's poking a hot iron into it or something, can you look?" she was twisting around trying to see it.

"Just sit still," he said, "I can't see it. Take off the robes."

She winced as she stood up and took off the cloak. It was much harder to remove her jumper, she couldn't lift her arm at all. She got one arm out then looked to Draco for help. He moved closer and eased her arm awkwardly out of the sleeve, she could feel fabric sticking to her back. As he peeled it off she held her breath, it felt sticky and was getting hotter. She was happy to be wearing a tank top underneath.

"Shit," he said as he threw the jumper on the ground, she saw the patch of dark red blood.

He steered Hermione to the full-length mirror, her back facing to it so she could look over her shoulder. She turned her head, a jolt of fear shot through her. A huge splotch of black and red spread across her shoulder blade. The centre was a small open wound with black veins like tentacles creeping out from it. She choked back tears, holding her hands over her mouth. It seemed to hurt more now that she had seen it. Draco led her back to the bed to sit down. Dizziness swept over her and before she knew it she threw up over the side of the bed. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, but she felt a little better. As Draco got a glass of water, she vanished any traces of vomit using her wand. She apologised and drank the water.

Draco looked worse than she felt, his face drained of colour and his hair matted with sweat. She pulled him down to sit on the bed, worried he would keel over. She put a hand on his forehead, he was burning hot.

"Are you okay Draco?" she said, no longer worried about herself.

"I'm betting I've got one of those on my leg too, feels like my calf muscle's on fire." He rolled up his trouser leg, revealing the same black inkblot covered the back of his calf muscle. An angry red welt of coagulated blood gleamed in the centre. He swayed slightly upon seeing it. She held him upright, his full bodyweight pressed on her side. She helped him to lie back, his legs dangled off the side of the bed.

"These are Auror Marker Curses Draco. There's no way to remove them." She tried to tame the stammer in her voice. "They'll be looking for people with them."

The sick feeling returned. This shouldn't have happened. Only the worst criminals and fugitives ended up with Markers Curses. Aurors could only use them in extreme circumstances, and only when they knew who the target was. The war must have changed the rules.

"Do you have that Dittany we bought today? Let's start with that," Draco said pulling her out of her thoughts.

At least one of them was thinking again. She nodded and started rummaging in her bag. She came across the pain potions first, she gave one to Draco and drank one herself before resuming the search.

She pulled out the tiny bottle and handed it to Draco. He sat behind her and held her shoulder steady before dropping two drops of liquid into the centre of the wound. She hissed through her teeth as it seared the open flesh, the sting intensified, then dulled.

Rolling her shoulder back she tried to lift her arm, it already felt much better and the pain potion was kicking in. Her head began to clear as the pain subsided. She told Draco to lie on his stomach. She took the bottle and held the back of his ankle, pushing it firmly onto the bed. She examined the angry looking wound before dropping the same liquid into it. His calf muscle tensed as his foot locked up, the Dittany neatly knitted the flesh back together. On the surface their wounds formed thick scabs, but underneath the grotesque black Marker remained.

Hermione crawled across the bed to lie on her stomach next to Draco. He turned his head to face her, his cheek resting on his arm.

"Thanks to you, my back might be bruised for weeks. You're not as light as you look," he said.

"You really have a gift for speaking to women Draco, at least you make a good landing pad. I can't say I feel bad about it," she smiled at him.

This was getting ridiculous, she realised half the time she spent with Draco was because she was either sick or injured. She hoped this was their bad luck over, though she suspected that was another lie she was telling herself.

They lay there, watching each other in silence.

"My leg hurts," Draco said after a while, he buried his face in the puffy hotel pillow. He fell asleep straight away.

Hermione was too worried about the Marker Curse to sleep. After a while, she sat up and checked all the items in her bag were safe. She changed her hair back to normal and went to the bathroom to wash her face, she looked in the mirror to find a face she didn't recognise. She tried to wipe off the makeup before remembering she could do it with magic, she was glad to be rid of it. She spotted a pile of fluffy towels and decided she might as well have a shower, sure Draco wouldn't mind.

She came back out, feeling better. Draco woke up from his nap, he sat up and clicked his back and shoulders. She noticed he was staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

"I like that look better," he said, keeping his eyes on her. She felt herself blush, not sure how to respond.

"I should get going," she said quickly. "I'm meant to be meeting Sirius and Harry for, 'an epic drinking session', to quote Sirius. Do you want to come?"

"You're going out drinking after everything that happened today?" He shook his head. "You're crazy, and as much fun as that sounds, I don't think I'm up for it. Not to mention your friends would not appreciate me being there."

"True, but I want you there," she said. Relieved the nausea was gone, she just had a dull ache in her shoulder. "Hey why are you staying at a hotel, I thought you were staying at school?"

"I was sick of that place, and Theo went to visit Blaise in Italy. I got this hotel room so I could watch TV since I no longer have yours at my disposal," he said, sitting up in the bed, arranging the many white pillows around him.

"Fair enough, I'm sorry, I should have given you my TV for the break." She just realised. "I didn't know Theo was going away. So where are we anyway?" she said, walking over to the window to see if she recognised anything outside, she perched herself on the windowsill.

"Somewhere in London, I like it here, no one knows me." He said shrugging. "I'll be back at school after Christmas. I'll hold you to that and steal your TV when I get back."

She didn't see anything familiar out the window. The view was of a lovely park. It was just starting to snow, not snow that sticks, but the kind that wisps around like sand blowing across a beach. She turned back to Draco. "I set the wards on my room to recognise you, so you don't have to break in this time," she smiled at him.

Draco moved out of his pillow nest. Clearly, in some pain. Hermione looked out the window, still no clue as to what part of London they were in. She sighed after thinking for a while. "I'm sorry I didn't know about Aurors raid. I should have asked Harry to give me the raid schedule or something, we could have known, planned, avoided this somehow," she said, frustrated at herself.

"You can't plan everything, Hermione, and asking Harry for that stuff would have been more suspicious. Don't worry about it, we're both fine."

"We aren't fine, we have Marker Curses on us." she said, trying to hold in the panic.

"It would be handy if you could get some information on how to remove these curses." He poured two glasses of water and brought one to Hermione. "I know they have a location and time stamped into them, but the only way the Aurors can get the info, is if they activate a revealing spell on it. So they can't track us, or even know when the Marker is in their presence, lucky for us," Draco said.

"Well that's one thing I suppose, I know very little about them I'll have to do some research." She tried to think what books at Grimmauld place might be helpful. "I'll try to get some info from Harry in the next few days."

"I plan on sleeping and forgetting about it for now. There's nothing we can do about it today, so I suggest you do the same," Draco said.

"Maybe a night of drinking and not thinking is what I need," she said more to herself than Draco.

"Good luck with that Granger, and don't get too pissed tonight," he said it as if didn't believe she was going out. "I'll see you tomorrow."

She said goodbye to Draco and apparated home, all she wanted to do was forget about the horrible Mark on her shoulder.


	14. Chapter 14- A Dog in the Bed

**Chapter Fourteen**

**A Dog in the Bed**

Hermione's night out with Sirius and Harry was a blur. She vaguely recalled sitting in a booth at the Leaky Cauldron and drinking several pints of a new beer Sirius had discovered. In hindsight, Hermione realised it wasn't such a good idea to go out drinking after her chaotic day. Taking several strong doses of pain reliever potions and being hit with a serious curse did not seem to mix well with alcohol.

The day before, Hermione had returned from her outing with Malfoy exhausted, she managed to avoid Harry and Sirius until she had a recovery nap and a shower. Eventually they found her and dragged her out to the Leaky Cauldron. She remembered walking into the pub and freezing as a flashback from earlier in the day hit her; it was a strange sense of deja vu or more like a dream where a different Hermione had rushed past that same spot all dressed in black.

She couldn't help but wonder if any of the patrons that had been there in the day remained that night. She felt like people were watching her. Several drinks later she had forgotten about all that. Whisked away by Sirius's stories of bad dates and searching Death Eater's houses. She had been happy sitting with her two friends for an evening where, in that booth in the pub, everything felt right in the world.

* * *

Hermione let out a groan as she lay on the couch, covering her eyes from the bright light of the chandelier above.

"Why are there so many lights in that thing?" she said.

"You've never complained about our elaborate chandeliers before," Sirius said from the other end of the couch where Hermione's feet rested on his lap.

"I've never been this hungover before," she said, trying not to move her throbbing head and ignore her throbbing shoulder. Sirius lifted her feet and placed them on the couch before turning on a reading lamp on the desk and with a flick of his wand turned off the large central chandelier.

"Better?" he asked.

"Thank you," Hermione said, allowing herself to sink further into the couch. Sirius went back to his spot, again putting her feet on his lap. He picked up a book and started reading. Hermione glanced up to see what he was doing.

"Why are you so happy?" she asked. "You drank ten times more than me. Why aren't you sick?" She frowned at him.

"Practice Love. You know me, I'm just a happy sort of fellow. Plus I'm glad you're back to keep me company," Sirius said.

"You're happy because I'm hungover and you're not." Even the pillow was hurting her head.

"That too," he said, "It's funny how you always feel so much better when you see someone else suffering." He smiled and patted her foot.

"You're sick Sirius Black. At least I'm not Harry—terrible he had to go to training today." She lay there for several minutes before attempting to move. She was trying to avoid any pain relief after the amount she had the day before. But it was getting a bit much, she gave in a took the Pepperup potion and pain relief that Sirius had left next to her, knowing she had to revive herself by the afternoon.

"How did we get home last night?" she asked.

"To be honest, I'm not so sure." He didn't look up from his book. "I imagine we got a taxi, that's what I usually do. Harry wasn't so drunk, we can ask him tonight. See if anything exciting happened," he looked up and winked at her.

She buried her face in her hands, "I can't believe I drank that much, you're a bad influence. What would Mrs Weasley say?"

"Well, she won't say anything because she wasn't there. It was fun, you had fun, we even woke up in our own beds—stop worrying so much." He went back to reading his book. It took five minutes for Hermione to gather enough energy to ask Sirius a question she had been putting off since she got home.

Hermione cleared her throat, "Hey Sirius is it all right if my friend comes over this afternoon to work on a school project?"

Sirius didn't look up from his book. "Is it someone we can trust?" he asked.

"I trust him. He won't tell anyone about the house I'll make sure he knows it's secret kept and I can apparate him here. He doesn't know it's the Headquarters for the Order. We just need to get some things organised, we can stay in the kitchen. You don't need to come down or anything," she said quickly.

"Sure, any friend of yours is a friend of mine," he said.

"Remember you said that Sirius," she mumbled to herself.

* * *

Hermione checked her watch for the twentieth time. She was having trouble ignoring the pain in her shoulder, and it was another fifteen minutes before she needed to leave to meet Draco. The Pepperup potion had done her wonders. She had cleaned the kitchen, rearranged all the cupboards and organised her notes and potions equipment on the large kitchen table, she couldn't sit still. When she tried to sit and read she found herself unable to concentrate. So she cleaned the bathroom downstairs and tidied the library and living room.

Unable to wait any longer, she decided to leave early, it never hurt to wait. She yelled upstairs to Sirius that she was going, and he didn't need to come into the kitchen for the afternoon because they had a lot of preparation to do. He yelled goodbye back down and asked if she could pick up some firewhiskey.

She put on her favourite double-breasted navy blue coat and lace-up boots, she noticed earlier it had started snowing. She grabbed a scarf and stepped onto the front porch before disapparating to just outside the Leaky Cauldron. Since she was early, she went down the road to pick up the firewhiskey for Sirius.

As she passed the familiar shops on Diagon alley, an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach crept up, it was the feeling she knew all too well from her recent experiences at school. Was everyone looking at her? The prickling feeling in the back of her skull told her they were talking about her. She got the whisky and hurried back to the spot to wait for Draco, pulling her coat around her as the snow got heavier. She moved her weight from foot to foot, unable to keep still. The more she stood there, the more she was sure people were talking about her, and not in a good way.

Yes it was common for her to be recognised on the street, but it typically involved friendly waving and greetings. She was not getting those vibes today. Her eyes darted up and down the cobbled road, trying not to catch people's eyes, she realised she was biting her nails and stopped. She tried to hold her hands in front of her naturally, but seemed to have forgotten how to stand. How did people stand while they were waiting?

Right on time, Draco appeared meters from her. She rushed over and hugged him, then latched onto his arm in relief. Her knees felt wobbly. Draco put both his hand on her shoulders and held her directly in front of him, she felt his eyes scanning her.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"Something isn't right here, people are staring at me and talking! I'm not being paranoid, I know they are. Do you think they know about the Marker Curse?" she looked around. "Can we just go now please?" she asked, moving his hands from her shoulders to hold in front of her, she squeezed them tightly trying to convey her urgency.

He chuckled, "Take us away." He pried his hands free and linked arms with her, a loud crack filled the air.

She landed them on the porch of 12 Grimmauld Place and sighed with relief. She took a step back from Draco and pulled the keys from her pocket.

"That was so weird," she muttered to herself, struggling to find the right key with shaking hands.

"I know why they were talking about you," he said, his face blank.

"What! Why didn't you say! Tell me," she said.

"No. It's nothing to do with yesterday. Don't worry," he said as he folded him arms.

"You can be so infuriating Draco," she said with a huff. "Before we go in. Promise me you will never reveal the location of this house or anything you may find out while here. Do you understand?"

"Sure," he said.

"I'm serious Draco, I'm a secret keeper for this house, I'm trusting you, so you have to promise okay?" she said, still trying to sort through the keys.

"Okay. I promise you, Hermione Granger, I will not divulge any information about this location or house to anyone as long as I live." She nodded in approval, finally got the right key and led Draco straight to the kitchen.

"Tell me, Draco, what don't I know!" she said, starting to panic. She got out a teapot.

"Calm down. Now, first, remember back to when I asked you if you were with Sirius and you said no?" Draco said, his arms rested on the table in front of him as if conducting an interview.

"Yes, I remember that and it's still true. Though I don't see how it's relevant to anything," she said, still holding the teapot.

Draco leaned over, picked up his bag and placed it on the table, he began pulling out his books, notes and finally a newspaper. Hermione got the impression he was angry at her, but couldn't think of any reasons why.

He unfolded the paper and spread the front page out across the kitchen table. Hermione moved to stand behind Draco. She read the headline and her hands shot to her mouth in shock.

"No. That bitch!" she exclaimed.

Her eyes moved down the page to a large photo taking up a generous section of the cover. It was of her and Sirius leaving the Leaky Cauldron. Flashbacks of the night raced into her mind.

She remembered trying to drag a very drunk Sirius out the door so they could go home. He had his arm around her shoulder as she tried to keep him upright. They went down some steps and he was telling her a story about Harry talking to a snake he met at a pet shop and freaking out the customers, she also remembered laughing a lot. Then Sirius had leaned over and kissed her cheek and said thank you for rescuing him from a night of boredom.

That was not at all how the picture portrayed them in that moment. To the unsuspecting reader or viewer, it showed two people very much in love. They didn't look at all drunk; that was one good thing. Hermione watched as the pictured moved, replaying the seemingly romantic scene, much slower than in real life. She swallowed the disgust as she saw picture Hermione laughing at Sirius's comment and Sirius slowly leaning in to her and softly kissing her cheek. There was a slight turn of her head as she looked up to meet his eyes, the photo froze on their stare for an extended second, before resetting to her laughter.

Hermione slammed her fist into the table. Of course it was Rita Skeeter. Hermione read the headline once more, she knew she shouldn't read the article but had to know what filthy lies it would be spreading.

_**Golden Girl turned Black**_

_Hermione Granger, the most reclusive member of the Golden Trio last night revealed to the public her secret love interest as none other than the infamous ex-convict, and Witch Weekly__'s #1 Most Eligible Bachelor, Sirius Black. _

_The couple were spotted leaving the Leaky Cauldron late last night, infatuated with one another with no concern about their public display of affection. Black__'s kiss upon Miss Granger's cheek speaks a thousand words, his tenderness toward her, her lighthearted laughter, the unspoken attraction within their gaze; all paints a picture of love. A romantic tale that bloomed from this horrible war. _

_The pair were seen leaving in a taxi together, most likely travelling to Black__'s rumoured secret mansion._

_Mr Black is the Head of the Nobel and Most Ancient House of Black, one of the few remaining pureblood lines amongst the families of the Sacred Twenty Eight. He is famously known as the first person to escape not only Azkaban Prison but also the Veil in the Death Chamber in the Department of Mysteries. He is also God-father to the Chosen One Harry Potter._

_We know Miss Granger for her crucial role in the war aiding Harry Potter in the destruction of He Who Must Not be Named. Though Miss Granger is attending Hogwarts School, she is in fact nineteen years old, a traditionally acceptable age to become engaged. We hope to bring news of this engagement in the coming year. _

Hermione groaned and slumped onto the bench next to Draco, resting her head on her hands. Draco said nothing. How did Rita Skeeter get under her skin every time? That horrible woman had some nerve. Hermione was sure her past threats would be enough to keep that blasted woman quiet, she must be insane. Hermione sat up straight and looked at Draco.

"You know none of this is true right? You believe me?" she said. Draco was looking at the notes in front of him. "Draco," she said, putting her hand on his arm. "You believe me right. Rita Skeeter has it out for me, she always has."

"You can do whatever you want, Hermione, who am I to judge." He pulled his arm away and continued reading.

"Draco, it's not true. Sirius and I aren't together," she said as she flipped over the paper, not wanting to look at the ridiculous repeating scene.

"So you didn't leave the Leaky Cauldron with Black, he didn't kiss you, and you didn't get a taxi home with him, and that picture isn't real?" he looked up, his cold gaze locked onto her. She faltered, catching a glimpse of the Malfoy she had once hated.

"Well yes," she said, feeling like she was on trial. "That all happened but not like that. Sirius and I are just friends, we were drunk, and he would have fallen over, that's why he was leaning on me. Plus Harry was with us the whole time and was in the taxi as well."

"Whatever Hermione, like I said, you can do whatever you want."

"Fine, I'll prove it to you." She stormed out of the room, her brain was buzzing, not thinking straight. She charged up the stairs into Sirius's bedroom without knocking. "Have you seen the paper today?"

"No, why? I don't read that shit, neither do you for that matter," Sirius said, putting down his book. She grabbed his hand and dragged him down the stairs to the kitchen. Oblivious to the fact that Sirius may not approve of her guest. She flung the door open and grabbed the paper from in front of Draco and shoved it in Sirius's face.

"Look at this!" She stood there, holding the paper in front of him.

But Sirius wasn't looking at the paper. He stood at the end of the table with clenched fists at his sides, his wand in one hand, eyes locked on Draco.

"What the _hell_ is this Death Eater Spawn doing sitting at my kitchen table," he said in a restrained voice. Draco stood up. Hermione dashed to the other side of the table to stand in front of Draco. Wand ready at her side.

"Sirius, Draco is my guest, and you said he could be here, remember?"

"Hermione—darling, I think you may have left out a few key details about _who_ your friend coming over was?" Sirius said through his teeth. His knuckles locked around his wand.

"Yes—Sirius. Because I knew how you would react. I said I trust him, and I stand by that. He's not a Death Eater, and he's your family so you should be nice to him," she said, standing her ground in front of Draco.

"I thought I raised you better than that, Hermione."

"For one, you didn't raise me, and two, you've spent as much time around Death Eaters as he has, and three, you said you trusted me and any friend of mine was a friend of yours, remember?" she said calmly, hoping he was in a forgiving mood. It could go either way with Sirius.

"Yes I did say those things, but in this case the '_who_' is rather important. I would not have let Draco Malfoy into my house." His voice was getting louder.

Draco moved out from behind Hermione and stepped closer to Sirius. "Look, I know you hate my family and me. But I promise you, I will not hurt Hermione, we've been working on this project for months. If I wanted to hurt her, I would have done it by now."

Sirius took a step forward, both Hermione and Draco raised their wands.

"Sirius, don't hurt him," she warned. "Draco, put your wand down." She moved in between them. "Don't make me hex either of you, you know I will," she said, glancing between them both.

"Fine." Draco put his wand down, raised his hands, then stepped back and returned to his seat at the table. Sirius lowered his wand and glared at Hermione silently questioning her. She subtlety shook her head, knowing he would demand a detailed explanation later.

"Focus Sirius, I dragged you down here because we have a problem. Sit down," she said, hoping to distract him from Draco. Sirius sat as Hermione picked up the crumpled newspaper that had blown onto the floor. She spread it out in front of him, waiting for his reaction. His eyes lit up upon seeing the photo.

"Wow, the photographer really captured our true spirit, don't you think?" he said to Hermione.

"Shut up Sirius, be serious for once. This is bad! And can you please tell Draco we aren't together," she said, crossing her arms.

He looked taken back for a second, "Ah, I see now—you and the young Malfoy here." He waved a finger between them. "I can see why you'd want to keep that quiet." He chuckled, obviously over his initial shock.

Hermione punched him in the arm. "No, we are not together. He just doesn't believe me."

"Well young Malfoy, you will be happy to know that Hermione and I are sadly, not together. And it's not from a lack of trying, believe me, I have. But alas, she will not have me." Sirius rubbed the heel of his palm on his chest and looked back at the paper.

"You have more than enough lady friends, Sirius, you don't need me," she gave him a fake smile and looked over at Draco.

"See. Papers lie, that's why you shouldn't read them." Draco didn't look convinced or pleased. He went back to reading his notes.

"Though," Sirius went on, "we make a charming couple, don't we love." He looked over at Hermione.

"No, we do not. Now I'll have to go through this all over again at school, and what will Professor McGonagall think? She already warned me about this once. Oh no! What will Mrs Weasley think. Sirius, they're all coming here for Christmas. I hate explaining things to people. It's the Tri-wizard cup all over again. It's bad enough at school, now here as well." She rested her forehead on the table.

"Don't worry, I'll set them all right," Sirius winked and grabbed an apple. "What happened at school?"

"Nothing." She offered no explanation but glanced at Draco. "Please don't make it worse, Sirius" she said.

Sirius narrowed his eyes and flicked a look between Draco and Hermione. "You two have fun, but remember Malfoy, if anything happens to Hermione I will hunt you down and kill you." He patted Draco on the head and left the room. Draco didn't react and was quiet most of the afternoon as they worked. They sorted the moon-flower seeds, picking out any bad ones. Then weighed out and bagged up separate units for the potion. Hermione admired their new instruments as they worked, they were so much nicer than the school equipment.

As the afternoon wore on, Hermione's hangover came back. They finished up the potion preparation and stored everything in a secure chest that Hermione would bring back to school. All she wanted to do was sleep, her shoulder was aching, and her body sore from all the running and falling over she had done the previous day.

Before Draco left, she asked him to check the Mark on her back, first making sure Sirius was at a safe distance upstairs. She took off her cardigan. Unexpected shivers ran down her arms as Draco's fingers brushed over the Mark. He traced the outline of the inky tendrils, now stretching to the middle of her back. The warmth of his fingers was soothing, she let her shoulders relax.

"It's spread slightly," he said. "Hopefully it stops there. Looks like the wound has healed well though." She felt the instant chill return as he released his hand.

She offered to check his leg. It was the same. Spread further than the previous day, the vein-like black lines now curled around to the front of his shin. She ran her finger across the centre of the Mark, it felt cold and smooth. There was an unnatural feeling about it. A shudder caused her shoulders to flinch. She rolled his trouser leg back down to cover it.

"At least it's not summer," she said, trying to sound positive. "It would be much harder to cover these up."

"Let's hope we can fix this by then," he said. "I better get going."

"Oh okay, you can stay to watch a movie if you want? I'm probably just fall asleep. But you're welcome to stay," she offered.

"Thanks, but I think I'll head back. Remember to ask Potter about removing the curse," he said, looking down at his leg. "You can write to me anytime with your quill, I brought it with me. It's not like I'll be busy."

"I will. Merry Christmas Draco," she said.

"Merry Christmas," he replied as he walked out the door.

* * *

A few days had passed since Hermione had an attack, she tried not to let panic set in as she felt the telltale signs of the buildup, knowing what was to come. She had been in their library trying to find information the Auror Marker Curse, but with no luck. She placed the books back, not wanting anyone to catch on to her research, though most of her friends wouldn't bat an eyelid at whatever strange subject she might be reading that week.

The twitch in her calf muscle told her to hurry, it was always the first clue. She needed to get somewhere more comfortable. She eased away from the desk and made her ways up the stairs, willing herself to make it to her bedroom.

Her joints were seizing up with every step, electrical fire flaring through every nerve, jolting through her muscles. Her spine spasmed caused her to arch her back, her white knuckles grasped the railing of the stairs. As the back spasm passed, she dragged herself upwards, biting her lip to stop herself screaming out. She made it to the top and crawled onto the landing, inching herself along the wooden floor to her open bedroom. She made it to her doorway and couldn't take it anymore.

Pain shot across her eyes the same time it jolted up her spine. It froze her spine and locked her muscles like solid concrete. She felt herself scream. The iron taste of blood filled her mouth, all she could hear was her erratic heartbeat booming in her ears. Unaware of time passing or how long it lasted, she was eventually set free. She melted into the floor as her body and muscles relaxed, though continued to twitch and spasm against her will.

She felt warm arms wrap around her, her body was limp and drained. Her eyes remained shut. She felt herself lifted and placed on something soft. Tiny electric shocks shot through every point in her body touching the surface. She gasped for breath, too exhausted to move. A cooling sensation flowed across her forehead and eyes, she focused all her energy on absorbing the coldness. A welcome breeze flowed over her, followed by the same relaxing chill on her elbows, neck, and knees. She allowed the sensation to consume her, numbing away the pain and horror. She could hear a distant soothing voice, she let it take her away.

Hermione woke to find herself lying in her underwear on top of her blankets. The eucalyptus jellyfish balm smell reminded her of the recent attack, and of Draco, was he there somehow? She found she was in her own bed, she felt alive. It was the same after every attack, a brief period of euphoria, as if she passed a trial and emerged out the other side reborn. Her limbs, though weakened by the trauma, felt weightless and like lead at the same time.

She glanced around the room, the first thing she spotted on the bedside table was a glass of water, she drank the whole thing, enjoying the icy liquid travelling through her body.

The next thing she spotted was a shadowy lump at the end of her bed. She sat for a moment peeling off the jellies that had lost their effect, then crawled to the end of the bed and buried her face in the neck of the scruffy dog. The dog blinked then turned its sleepy head to greet her with a lick of her nose.

"Thank you, Sirius," she said, tilting her head to the side, resting her cheek and hands, on his furry back. She felt the shape under her shifting. The ruffled fur turned into warm skin. Her cheek was resting on a human chest, slowly rising and falling, her hand resting in soft chest hair. She breathed in his familiar scent, earthy with a subtle hint of cologne and fire whiskey.

"How are you feeling?" Sirius asked, his hand on her shoulder, drawing light circles. Her skin was tingling. Her nerves on edge from the attack.

"I miss Crookshanks," she said, the first thing she thought of. "But I'm fine now. Thanks for looking after me," she said as sleep crept up on her.

She felt Sirius move his arm under her. "I hate seeing you that way. I wish I had the chance to kill Bellatrix myself," he said with a serious edge to his voice. She knew he meant it.

"Yes, and I wish she hadn't killed you either. I'll be better soon, don't worry, our potion will change everything," she said, she was more asleep than awake.

"Hermione, I saw the Mark on your back, are you in trouble?" he asked.

"It's fine we have it under control," she could barely stay awake.

"We?" he asked.

"Mmm, me and Draco," she said, unaware of what she was saying.

"Come on, get back into bed," Sirius sat up, keeping his arm around her shoulder he scooped her up and placed her in the bed, tucking a sheet over her. She snuggled into the pillow as Sirius started to turn away. She reached out and grabbed his wrist. "Please stay, I don't want to be alone," she said, just managing to keep her eyes open.

"Sure, just go back to sleep," he said in a soft voice. "Everyone's turning up early tomorrow, we better get some sleep." He reached to the end of the bed and put on the striped pyjama pants he put there before turning into a dog. He pushed back the blankets on the other side of the bed and slid in next to Hermione. She was already asleep.


	15. Chapter 15- Christmas Chaos

**Chapter Fifteen**

**Christmas Chaos**

Hermione tried to ignore the persistent knocking at the door; she needed more sleep. She blinked her eyes open as it continued, unsure where she was for a second. Spotting the familiar pictures on her nightstand, she realised she was in her bedroom at Grimmauld Place. Hermione relaxed and closed her eyes again.

The knocking startled her awake. So tired—they could come back later. A voice came from inside her room. "Hang on a sec!" she heard footsteps move near the door and she sat bolt upright in the bed.

"Sirius!" she hissed—only too late.

A half-asleep Sirius had opened the door. His pyjama bottoms were hanging a little too low on his hips, his bare chest and abs exposed as he opened the door to face Molly Weasley.

"Shit." He looked back over his shoulder at Hermione. "Morning Molly," he said cheerfully, offering no explanation.

"Well, I never!" Molly gasped and folded her arms across her chest. Hermione still half asleep, groaned to herself. Unsure if Molly's reaction was from the shock of seeing Sirius in her room or finding herself unexpectedly face to face with a very fit, half-naked man.

Hermione snapped into solution mode. She grabbed her dressing gown off the chair and hastily wrapped herself in it before joining Sirius at the door. "Molly, this isn't what it looks like."

Molly was still glaring at Sirius. Hermione hoped she hadn't seen her previous state of undress. Sirius, not fazed by Molly, leant on the door frame with his arm above his head, clearly not wanting to help the situation. Hermione clenched her jaw and shot him a look. This only seemed to egg him on.

"I'm sure it's exactly what it looks like. Honestly, Hermione, I thought better of you. I certainly didn't want to believe what was in the paper." Molly said, shaking her head then glaring at Sirius.

"What exactly do you mean by that Molly," Hermione said, seeing the dirty look Molly gave Sirius. She took a step closer to Molly, "Are you cross because it isn't Ron, or because Sirius isn't 'good' enough for me? Because I can assure you he is a better man than most of the wizards I've ever met and he has made more sacrifices than anyone I know," her voice was getting louder. "He put his life on the line in the war to save many people, including members of your own family and you treat him like this?" she said, stuffing her fists into her dressing gown pockets.

"Okay Hermione, I'm sure that's not what she meant," Sirius said, clearing his throat while placing his hand on her arm and steering her back a step.

Molly coughed awkwardly. "No, no, of course not. I didn't mean any offence. Although this seems highly inappropriate," Molly said, still eyeing Sirius warily. She cleared her throat. "I just wanted to wake you up and tell you I was starting on the Christmas ham and wanted to see if you would help get the puddings started."

The change in subject snapped Hermione back to reality. She realised it was Christmas day, people would already be downstairs. She cringed, wondered how much of that everyone heard. "I'm sorry Molly, yes, of course I'll help you," she said, gathering herself together. "I'll get ready and be down shortly, oh and Merry Christmas," she added.

"Merry Christmas dear, you just take you time," Molly said as she patted Hermione on the shoulder, "I'll keep everyone entertained until you come down, I've given most of them jobs already so don't you worry."

"Who is this 'everyone' you speak of," enquired Sirius with raised eyebrows.

"Oh, only a few so far; Tonks, Remus, Andromeda, Teddy, Ginny, Ron and Arthur," she said. "I better get back down." She gave them both an awkward glance before backing out into the hallway and hurrying off down the stairs.

Sirius shut the door and chuckled. "Well, that's one way to start the morning."

Hermione covered her face with both hands and groaned. "It's always trouble when it comes to you. You could have at least set the story straight. No one will believe us now." She looked up at him.

"Hey, I didn't need to say anything, you realise you as good as told Molly you slept with me?" Sirius said, lying back down on the bed. "Not your intention?"

She froze realising what she said. "How do things keep going so wrong?" She collapsed onto the bed next to him.

He turned his head. "Come on, it's not that bad. I'm quite a catch you know," he teased.

She threw a pillow in his face. "You think highly of yourself, Mr Black," she tried to move out of his reach. The sudden movement shot ripples of pain through her body, she winced, realising she couldn't manoeuvre very far.

Sirius's eyebrows drew together. "You have some explaining to do. That Mark on your shoulder is not something a young lady who stays out of trouble should have. What did you do? Or should I ask, what did Malfoy do?"

"I don't want to talk about it Sirius. It's not Draco's fault, and it's under control. I just need a bit of time," she said, trying to sound convincing.

"Hermione, that's an Aurors Marker Curse. You don't get one of those unless you're in a really bad place, at a really bad time. They will catch you, they always do," he said bluntly.

"No, they won't. Please don't tell Harry and do not do anything to Draco—promise me." She turned to sit cross-legged in front of him.

"Hermione this is serious, if you're being hunted by Aurors, I need to know. I can help you. If you get caught with Malfoy, it's all over for both of you. You know that."

"I know Sirius. I know how serious this is, just give me time, I'll come to you if I need help." She started playing with the hem of her dressing gown, avoiding his eyes.

"I mean it, you should stay away from Malfoy, look how much trouble he's got you in already."

"It's not his fault. Just trust me okay," Hermione said with a huff.

"You can do better than him you know," Sirius said, trying to catch her eye.

She turned away from him. "Come on, we better get ready." She ignored his comment and forced herself up. She walked to the other side of the bed and pulled his arm leading him towards the door. Reaching up on her toes she kissed him on the cheek before pushing him into the hallway, "Merry Christmas Sirius, and thanks for looking after me last night," she said with a smile before shutting the door.

She hurried getting ready. Not feeling particularly festive, she pulled out a red sweater dress with a high neck, hoping to force herself into the spirit of Christmas. She had a quick shower, hoping to ease the deep ache in her muscles that was building. Then she downed a pain potion to take the edge off.

She struggled into the dress. Her finishing touch was a pair of earring's Luna had given her. They were tiny Christmas baubles that dangled below her ears, floating in the air, the baubles swirled around and changed colour between silver, gold and red and green. She looked at herself in the mirror, realising her eyes had unmissable dark shadows under them. She covered them up with a mixture of brightening potion, cover-all potion and foundation, she was ready to face everyone downstairs.

* * *

The first person Hermione encountered upon entering the kitchen was Tonks.

"Well, well, well," Tonks started, a wicked gleam in her eye. She stopped peeling potatoes, easily distracted from the task Molly had assigned her.

"Can I at least have tea first? Hermione said, shoulders slumped as she targeted the charmed tea pot, she picked out a tea cup and it began pouring the tea itself. Tonks followed Hermione to the bench, staring intensely, clearly hoping for a reaction.

"Like I told Molly," Hermione said, as she watched the tea cup fill, "it's not what it looked like okay?" She added a lump of sugar, something she only did in extreme situations, she took a sip of the sweet brew.

Tea would make the morning bearable—she hoped. Though wished she had Draco's coffee machine.

"So you didn't sleep with Sirius, and he didn't kiss you in that photo in the paper?" Tonks probed, bouncing along as she followed Hermione to the large kitchen table, taking the seat opposite her.

"No! Well—I mean he slept in my bed, but I didn't sleep with him. You know what I mean Tonks, it's all taken out of context," she said. "Argh, I'm too sleepy to talk about this."

"Whatever you say, Hermione, you know you suck at lying, right?" she giggled. "Come on, you can tell me." Hermione rolled her eyes.

A cheerful voice emerged from the kitchen doorway, "Good morning and Merry Christmas ladies," Sirius said as he walked in to join them, giving them each a kiss of the cheek. "And good morning to you too my dear cousin, I've just been chatting with Hermione here, you know Hermione, right?" Tonks said cheekily.

Hermione groaned and rested her head on her arms. Sirius laughed and sat down next to Hermione and patted her on the back in comfort. "Tonks, leave her alone. You know she needs tea before she can interact with humans."

"From these rumours I hear she has no problems with interaction." Tonks chuckled, completely forgetting about her task peeling potatoes.

Hermione groaned lifted her head up, "You two are so similar it's disturbing. I suppose you're going to let this go on all day, Sirius? Can you please tell Tonks we are not together?" Hermione asked.

"Don't worry love, I've got it all under control," he nudged her shoulder with his. Both Tonks and Sirius grinned at her and let out an eerily similar evil laugh.

"That is so disturbing," Hermione said.

After another cup of tea and a quick breakfast, Hermione went to greet everyone in the living room. Molly had just finished piling up the mountain of presents under the glittering red and gold tree. Warmth spread through Hermione as the smells of Christmas surrounded her, the open fire, the Christmas tree, cinnamon, oranges and cloves. The sparkle of fairy lights and candles made it all the more cosy.

The first person to greet her was Remus, he enveloped her in a big hug and wished her Merry Christmas. A second later, the floo roared into life next to Hermione. George stepped out, greeting the room with an explosion of red and green confetti that whizzed around singing Christmas carols. Everyone was smiling.

Hermione made her way around the room, wishing each of her friends a Merry Christmas, no one mentioned the newspaper or the mornings drama. Andromeda gave her big kisses on her cheeks and winked at her in a knowing way, Hermione felt herself go red. Andromeda disappeared to chase Teddy before Hermione could explain anything.

Ron remained sitting with his arms crossed in the corner of the room, his festive red sweater with a large R and frolicking reindeer did not reflect his mood. He didn't get up to greet Hermione, just mumbled a very unenthusiastic Merry Christmas. How did he always make her feel so guilty? They weren't even together. She decided to ignore him and attempt to enjoy the day. Ginny bounced over and gave her a hug, at the same time whispering in her ear that they would have a serious talk later.

Hermione looked around, Harry still hadn't returned from his night training exercises. She hoped he wasn't too far away, she needed him to occupy sulky Ron and nosey Ginny, plus it wasn't the same without him.

With greetings out of the way, Molly set Hermione up in the production line of puddings. The large kitchen was put to good use, and everyone was busy. Tonks hadn't stopped harassing her, but everyone else seemed to avoid the subject, at least for now. She could live with that.

As the morning progressed, Hermione started to enjoy the festivities. Tonks popped a bottle of champagne early on, despite Molly's disapproving stares. They were all having a great time drinking and trying to work on their set tasks as Kreature grumbled around them re-doing things they had already finished.

The rest of the lunch party arrived in dribs and drabs, including Angelina (who was seeing George), Fleur and Bill, Percy and Charlie. It was the first Christmas without Fred. But knowing he would've wanted everyone to have fun, they tried to live up to it as best they could. Mixed in with bouts of tears, were the new WWW products; edible novelty bubbles, designed by Fred, making a hit debut with his own family.

Hermione missed her parents, wondering how their Christmas was going in Australia and what they might be doing. Such a strange thought having Christmas in summer, she could hardly imagine it. She hoped they were having fun.

Harry eventually turned up. Before he got dragged off by Molly and her tasks, Hermione cornered him, asking if he would meet in the library for a quick chat after he got ready.

They entered the quiet library, Hermione sat down and patted the couch next to her. Harry sat down, looking somewhat confused.

"What's all this about Hermione, has something happened?" he said.

Hermione tried to sound cheerful, "No, nothing serious. No need to worry. I just wanted to talk to you before you heard rumours and got the wrong idea," she said rather quickly.

"Okay…" he said, resting his arm across the back of the couch.

"So I had another Cruciatus attack last night, it was quite bad," she said quietly, looking down at her hands.

"You alright? I thought they were getting better," he said, frowning.

"It's not that simple, I don't think they can get better. I'm working on something, but that's another story, I can tell you later," she glanced around the room then back at Harry. "So the thing is—Sirius looked after me last night, in fact, he was amazing. I was in a terrible way, and he got me through it." She took a deep breath. "I didn't want to be alone, and I was in so much pain so I asked him if she would stay with me, which he did," she said.

"Okay, so he slept in your bed?" Harry said.

"Yes, but the problem is, this morning Molly came to wake me up, and Sirius answered the door, and I think it rather shocked her. To say the least, she was not thrilled, she thinks I'm sleeping with Sirius, and that article in the paper isn't exactly helping my story." Hermione said in quick succession, she bit her lip, then looked up at Harry. "Harry, I'm not sleeping with him now. The problem is no one else believes me and Sirius keeps making it worse."

Harry chuckled. "It's not funny, Harry!" she said.

"It's kind of funny," he admitted. "I believe you, and I'm sorry you had another attack. But don't you kind of feel like you're lying to everyone? Cos it's not the first time this has happened, I mean you might not be sleeping with him now but…" he raised his hands and shrugged.

"That's not the point Harry. We are talking about now, and what everyone believes right now is wrong."

"I hear you, Hermione. Not sure why you're so worked up about this, but I'll talk to Sirius and at least stop him from perpetuating the rumours." Harry sighed, "It would have been quite funny to see Molly's face though!" he said.

"I guess it was a wee bit funny," she said as she let out a breath, relieved. "That's not all though, I'm sure Molly has already told everyone, and Ron doesn't seem to be talking to me, and Ginny is acting weird," she said all at once. "I'm so happy you're home.

"Sure, Hermione, don't worry about it. Just enjoy the day, have some more champagne and make the most of it."

"Okay, thanks, Harry, I'll try. Hey, do you know anything about Auror Marker Curses? It's um, for a school project."

"You never have a break do you," Harry laughed. "No I don't really, sorry. We haven't learnt about them. But I know Tonks is registered to use them, you should ask her."

"I'll do that. Thanks Harry. Let's get back to Christmas," she said, trying to sound cheerful as her brain flicked through ideas on how to get the info from Tonks.

She squeezed Harry's hand. They returned to the festivities. Hermione ready to make herself enjoy it and determined to get what she needed out of Tonks.

She couldn't help but wonder what Draco was up to.

* * *

Hey everyone, hope you're still enjoying the story. Just want to say thanks to Ghostwriter71 for the comment, that made me smile.

I'm going to try post a new chapter every Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings (Hong Kong time) to get more organised, but will see how that goes...  
Happy reading :)


	16. Chapter 16- Tonks and the Champagne

**Chapter 16**

**Tonks and the Champagne **

Christmas day continued…

Everyone had finished eating Christmas lunch, by that time it was more like dinner. The room was crowding as others arrived. Sirius declared Grimmauld place the spot for leftovers and late-night Christmas drinking. Hermione scanned the room, devising a plan to get information on the Aurors Marker Curse from Tonks.

The latest people to turn up were Luna and Xenophilius. They both started off their festivities by searching the house for blibering humdingers. Though rare, their theory was the most likely place to find them were ancient Wizarding houses. Everyone left them to it.

The next arrivals were Kingsley, Neville, Susan, and Hagrid. The only person they were missing was Professor McGonagall. She informed them she would try to come later. It was nice to have everyone together in one big gathering, their first proper celebration since the war.

The evening was filled with everything Christmasy; Christmas music, opening presents, cracker pulling (not ordinary crackers but WWW specialty surprises, guaranteed to shock and surprise), Hermione even managed to quieten everyone long enough to watch the Queen's broadcast, much to the confusion of many guests.

Everyone took full advantage of the spread of puddings Hermione had helped create including mince pies, trifle, a yule log, Christmas cookies, Christmas cake and a Christmas pudding that George had a little too much fun setting on fire.

Hermione was full of food, mulled wine and quite content in the cosy room filled with her favourite people. Sirius sat down in the tight space on the couch next to her and wrapped his arm around her shoulder.

"You know you aren't helping the situation, right?" Hermione said, attempting to wiggle away from him but finding herself wedged into her spot.

"I know, it's more fun this way," Sirius replied.

"It has been an enjoyable day watching Ron squirm," she admitted.

"Yes, I've been meaning to ask you, what's up with that. You two not talking?" he asked.

"No he went crazy last time we met at the Three Broomsticks, so Harry told him to leave and here we are, still not talking. This was months ago. He needs to get over himself." She sighed. "Let's get a drink," Hermione said, forcing her way out. Sirius followed her to the mulled wine. She kept an eye on Tonks. After collecting their drinks Hermione walked over to join Tonks, Charlie, Bill and Fleur in an intense conversation about dragons.

Hermione finished her drink, and they were still talking about Dragons. She couldn't get a word in with Tonks who was drunk and overexcited by the conversation.

Hermione decided she needed some quiet time and a chance to get her thoughts together about what to say to Tonks. Something was niggling at her mind that she couldn't put her finger on, something that didn't feel right. She retreated to the quiet of the library. She sat with the gold quill resting in her hand, a blank notebook page open before her.

Hermione jumped, not seeing Molly enter the room. "I see you're using your quill set love. I'm so glad you like it," Molly said as she walked over holding a tray of tea.

Hermione blushed, "It's wonderful, thank you so much, Molly, I can't believe you got it for me, you really didn't have to." She hoped Molly wouldn't bring up the morning again.

"Nonsense love, I couldn't think of a more perfect present for you. Harry said you gave one to him. Who has the other one?" she put the cup of tea in front of Hermione.

"Oh, um, I lent it to a friend at school so we could work on a project together." Not exactly lying but she couldn't look Molly in the eye.

"Wonderful dear, I knew you would make good use of them. Enjoy your tea." She left the library as Hermione let out a sigh. Glad Molly didn't ask more questions, she seemed to have gotten over the morning shock as well.

Sirius was hovering in the doorway. "Not lying to Mrs Weasley are we?"

Hermione looked up, why was it so hard to get a moments peace? "You know very well I was telling the truth." She looked down at the blank page.

"So I worked out it's the young Malfoy you've been writing to the whole time you have been back—I'm clever that way. It's quite a surprise still. I didn't think bad boys or Death Eaters were your type, and I know you keep denying it, but it's obvious," he said, raising his cup of tea to her.

"They are not my type. He is not a Death Eater, and we are just working on the project, that's all."

"If you say so," he somehow pulled a bottle of whiskey out of the bookshelf and filled his teacup. "I'll leave you to it," he said, clinking her cup and bowed before leaving the room. Sirius certainly liked drama. She wondered how people kept finding her in the library.

Hoping she would be left alone, she sat, thinking about what didn't feel right. Unable to shake the uncomfortable feeling, she had a moment of realisation. She missed Draco. She wanted Draco there. Was Sirius right? Did she fancy Draco?

She missed talking to him, and when she found something new or started watching a new movie, her first thought was always to tell Draco. She must be losing it. She tried to shake the thought out of her head.

Were they spending too much time on their project? Too much time together? She imagined him sitting all alone in his hotel room, watching sad Christmas movies—although she didn't actually believe that. Did he even have a Christmas dinner? She put the quill to paper.

_Hey Draco, hope you are having a nice Christmas Day. What are your current plans? If you are free you should come over to my place, we are having a big Christmas party now with all the leftover food from lunch. You are welcome to join, everyone is here. Your Aunt Andromeda is here, I__'m sure she would want to see you. _

She felt the response in her quill straight away. Her heart skipped a beat as it began moving in her hand.

_Merry Christmas Hermione. Thank you for the invitation, but I__'m sure everyone there still hates me so would potentially destroy the Christmas spirit for others. Sirius definitely hates me, so does Harry, Ginny, Ron and I'm assuming the whole Weasley family. Don't make it hard on yourself. _

She read the message twice, took a sip of tea then replied.

_I suppose it wouldn__'t be very fun for you. I'll try to get some information about the Auror Marker curse from Tonks—she's quite drunk now, and Andromeda is watching Teddy so it might be a good time to catch her. Harry didn't know anything useful. _

Again an instant response

_Using a Christmas gathering to manipulate people and gather intel—very Slytherin of you. I like it. _

She smiled to herself and drew a face with its tongue sticking out—_Wish me luck._

Seeing he wasn't going to reply, she walked back to the living room and spotted Tonks at the drinks table refilling. Hermione fast walked through the crowd to get the spot next to Tonks. She grabbed an empty glass and held it out for Tonks to fill.

"Well look who's joining my party finally," Tonks said. "I thought you were avoiding me." She topped up their glasses far beyond the proper volume for champagne.

"No, you're just the person I wanted to see," Hermione said.

Tonks linked arms with her and guided them into a free spot by the window. "Hermione, you have to tell me the real story. I can't go on living without knowing what's going on with you are Sirius," Tonks said, gripping Hermione's arm.

Hermione laughed, "Tonks, you know you sound crazy?"

"Hermione there is no good gossip at work anymore, I need to live through your youthful tales."

"You sound a little crazy, you know. Maybe you should get out more?" Hermione suggested, laughing with Tonks.

"Sure sure, just give me something," she pleaded.

"Fine, but you can't tell anyone, and we have to talk about something totally different after. Deal?" Hermione said.

Tonks agreed a little too enthusiastically. Hermione gulped half of her champagne down before she began. She gave Tonks the story she wanted to hear, plying her with gossip and champagne hoping to lead to the desired information.

She told Tonks the truth. How she and Sirius became close over summer, much closer than either of them planned. Tonks sat there, swaying but enthralled by Hermione's story. Hermione clarified that whatever they had was over now, and despite Sirius's behaviour, he knew very well where they stood. She explained what actually happened the night at the Leaky cauldron and how Sirius had helped her when she was sick the night before.

Tonks looked disappointed. "Well, my instincts weren't off, just the timing, I guess. I'm sad, I wanted you and Sirius to get together so you'd be in my family." She reached over and hugged Hermione who put down her glass just in time. Out of the corner of her eye, Hermione saw a champagne bottle float up from the windowsill and fill their glasses once more.

"You are my family Tonks, everyone here is, you're the only family I have left. I don't need to marry your cousin," Hermione said.

"I guess you're right. But he was the only good cousin I have to offer." Tonks pouted.

"Your other cousin isn't so bad," Hermione said without thinking. She grabbed her glass and tried to change the subject, cursing her alcohol dulled brain. Tonks's eyes lit up.

"Wait what? Do you—what?—you can't mean—do you mean Draco?" Tonks asked. "Don't you two hate each other?" Tonks said, a grin creeping across her face.

Hermione cleared her throat, the drinks were going to her head fast. It might have had something to do with Tonk's magic refill system she had been so slow in noticing.

"I'm sort of friends with him, I guess. We're working on a project together—so I see him sometimes." Hermione said.

Tonks suddenly switched to Auror-Tonks mode, Hermione wasn't prepared. Tonks stood there, silently studying Hermione's face, narrowing her eyes.

Could Tonks tell she had the Marker Curse on her shoulder? Was she reading her mind? Hermione's palms turned sweaty, she tried to act natural but couldn't remember how. She made sure her occlumency shields were up.

"So you like my cousin Draco," Tonks stated. "That's why you've been acting weird and avoiding telling me things. It's Draco—not Sirius," she shook her head and started giggling. "You know I always find out the truth, Hermione." Tonks patted her arm.

Hermione decided to go with it. "I'm so sorry, Tonks. I didn't want anyone to find out, and it's weird because he's your cousin and was a Death Eater and all that, plus everyone hates him. But he's changed, and he's not a bad person. Believe me,"she said it quickly but found it actually quite easy to pretend, it almost sounded believable.

"You better be careful with him. I'd warn you to stay away, but I know that won't change your mind. Just be careful. Actually, make a note—note that I did tell you to stay away from him." Tonks said in a matter-of-fact tone.

"I know. Thanks. I don't think he feels the same way, so there's really nothing to worry about." Hermione meant that when she said it. "—let's change the subject. I was reading up on the Auror Marker Curse for my Defence Against the Dark Arts class and was wondering if you could tell me a bit more about how they work?"

Tonks saw the fake worry in Hermione's eyes and went with the change in conversation. Due to the excess alcohol, Tonks told her far more than any Auror should. People were definitely more relaxed since the war ended. Hermione felt bad knowing her friend put so much trust in her, only to lie straight to her face.

Tonks revealed how an Auror could remove the curse and where the record books were kept in the Aurors Office. The method of removing the Mark involved locating the cursed person and activating the revealing charm on it.

After that, the record book would automatically update with the place and time the curse was performed. She described how the Mark is usually left there until the criminal goes through a trial. They are then either charged or acquitted.

Hermione asked about times where the curse hit the wrong person by accident or if it could be removed some other way.

Tonk explained that as long as it was an accident, and the person came forward straight away with proof, the curse would be removed immediately by the Ministry. Hermione tried to remain calm upon hearing this, knowing they didn't fall into that category.

She pushed her luck further, asking if the person couldn't come forward was there another way. Tonks was rocking from side to side and laughed. "You don't have a Marker curse on you, do you Hermione? You're very serious about this."

Hermione snorted with laughter. "No!" she said a little too enthusiastically. Her heart was racing, but Tonks wasn't serious.

"All you need is an Auror and their wand, they remove the Mark and close the case in the records. They just need to do the revealing charm and a removal charm, which is extremely painful, then they're off the hook or off to Azkaban, easy peasy," Tonks said as Remus came over to join them.

Hermione's stomach rolled upon hearing this. There was no way they could remove the Marks without help, unless they could sneak into the Aurors Record Department, steal an Aurors wand and remove the curse themselves. Seemed too risky.

Hermione politely excused herself as Tonks latched onto a much more sober Remus. She spent the rest of the evening trying to enjoy herself, but thoughts of the curse, Draco, Crookshanks and the potion kept spiralling around in her mind.

* * *

Hermione spent the week between Christmas and New Year staying well away from the public eye. She finally caught up on her schoolwork and got a few night's decent sleep. Although still plagued with nightmares, it was nice to be in her own bed, even if she always kept the lights on.

In between studying, she spent a surprising amount of time writing to Draco who had returned to Hogwarts for the rest of the holiday. He had taken care of the final prep for their ingredients, setting up for their brewing trials to start the first week back. They slipped into a routine of writing to one another late at night. Somehow it was easier than talking face to face.

She told him about her parents and what she had done to keep them safe, how she missed them, and how she missed her cat. She thought about that day in the forest and how she was so sure she would find Crookshanks there. Disappointment and grief had blocked her usually logical thoughts. She told Draco as she developed a new theory about where the cat might be hiding.

She remembered new details from the day in the forest. First she had found the well, she remembered seeing Crookshank's collar sitting on the edge. She assumed some forest creature, perhaps a centaur, had left it there as a final message or a final memorial for her. Next to the collar were six stacked pebbles, dark red and smooth. At the time she was overcome with grief, she had stuffed the collar and pebbles in her pocket and slumped against a tree crying. She was sure it was a sign he was dead. That's when the Lethifold came.

Over the last week, she had thought back to this many times. Talking to Draco had made her remember details she didn't know she knew. Then one night, it hit her. She had seen the pebbles before. Crookshanks often brought her strange gifts from his adventures. Back during her third year at school, he brought the same rocks home several nights in a row.

Upon remembering this detail she collected the small stones from deep in her bag and showed Sirius. He smiled when he saw them.

He told her about the cave he in lived in as Padfoot after he escaped Azkaban. Every night Crookshanks would visit him, bringing him stolen food from the school, and in return, he would play a game with the cat involving hitting the pebbles around the cave. Hermione felt a flutter in her stomach and for the first time since that day, she let herself believe Crookshanks was alive.

Confident in her theory that Crookshanks was living in that very cave, she told Draco her plans to go there the first week back, he agreed to go with her. She was so excited and couldn't wait to get back to school. This time she was sure Crooks would be there. It took her mind off the small issue of the curses they were carrying around.

* * *

Sorry I said I'd try to post on regular days but obviously that was too hard. I started NaNoWriMo yesterday but will try to stay on top of posting chapters regularly. Hope everyone is enjoying the story still :) Thanks for reading.


	17. Chapter 17- The Unexpected

**Chapter 17**

**The Unexpected**

It was the first day back at school, and Hermione was not enjoying it. She felt more exhausted than before the holidays. If she thought the gossip before the holidays was bad, this was a whole new level of terrible. Everyone in the school seemed to have a copy of the newspaper featuring her and Sirius.

She tried to ignore it. Her defence was weak, and she knew it. The upside was people seemed scared of her, or rather they were scared of Sirius, either way it kept people at a distance. Ginny concluded it was a mixture of jealousy, fear, and disgust—great, just what she needed, Hermione thought as she tried to convince herself she was above all the gossip.

One person who fell into the disgust category was Professor McGonagall. Not impressed at all, she called Hermione into her office straight after breakfast with a stern lecture on how disappointed she was, and how Hermione wasn't trying hard enough in being a role model to young witches. She even mentioned how much older than her Sirius was and enquired if she was taking proper precautions. It was mortifying.

She told Hermione to stay out of the media and avoid going anywhere with Sirius Black in public. Hermione fought the urge to roll her eyes, she had known it was coming. She was glad to have avoided it at the Christmas party in front of all her friends.

* * *

Leaving potions class in the morning, Hermione felt someone slip a note into her hand in the rush to get out the door.

As she walked to the Great Hall for lunch, Hermione opened the note. It was the elegant handwriting she had become so familiar with over the past weeks. _Come to my room after dinner. I have a surprise for you._

Her hand went to her necklace. She hadn't talked to Draco since she arrived back. She wondered what it could be. He didn't say it was a good surprise, so she supposed it could be something bad, but why would he tell her that? Maybe a present? She didn't want to get her hopes up, it was probably something to do with the potion. Either way, she hoped it was good.

She slid into the bench next to Ginny and started helping herself to food. Ginny stared at her.

"Why are you smiling like that?" Ginny asked.

"I'm just happy," Hermione replied.

"Yes, but how? You were miserable minutes ago when we were in potions."

"I'm just looking forward to this lunch and class this afternoon." Looking across at the other house tables, her eyes landed straight on Draco. She gave him a hint of a smile, aware that Ginny was watching her out the corner of her eye. He winked at her as he got up and left his table. It would be a long afternoon.

The day indeed dragged by. At dinner time she wasn't hungry, she ate a few bits of roast beef and carrots before noticing Draco leave the table. She waited a minute after he left the hall before making an excuse to her friends that she left something in the library, then made her way towards the dorms.

She was breathless as she made the final steps along the shared hallway. Standing at Draco's door, she knocked. Her mouth felt dry. She hadn't seen him since the day at Grimmauld place. He opened the door, but didn't let her in, instead remaining in the doorway.

Something about him was different. His eyes were bright, and he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. He had obviously believed her about Sirius and gotten over the whole newspaper thing.

He looked down the hallway. "Believe it or not, I actually missed you," he said. A mischievous smile crept across his face.

"What are you up to?" she asked shifting her head to the side.

"I told you I have a surprise. Close your eyes—come on, trust me," he said as his hands wrapped around hers and pulled her into the room.

"This better not be some trick," she said closing her eyes. She heard the door shut. Her heartbeat increased as Draco took both her hands and guided her slowly across the room. She tried to breathe normally. Thoughts were rushing through her brain on possible scenarios this was leading to. She let him lead her until he told her to stop.

"You can open your eyes," he said, she could hear the anticipation in his voice. She slowly opened her eyes and found herself standing at the edge of his bed. Draco stood next to her. She looked around in confusion until she noticed one thing out of place.

A large ball of orange fur was coiled on top of a Slytherin Quidditch jersey. Her breath caught in her throat and her hands shot to her mouth. It was Crookshanks. Was he real? She looked at Draco in disbelief before diving onto the bed and burying her face in the fluffy cat. She wrapped her arms around Crookshanks and captured him in a giant hug, breathing in the familiar smell.

Tears welled in her eyes. She sat up to check that he was real. Crookshanks tilted his head to look at her and blinked his eyes slowly in acknowledgement before licking a paw then tucking himself back into his previous coiled state. She patted him, not wanting to take her eyes off him in case he wasn't real.

She couldn't stop smiling, she wanted to jump on the bed and yell to the world her cat was alive. Instead, she took two bounces over the bed and sprung off, launching herself onto Draco in a hug he never saw coming. She squeezed him with extreme enthusiasm then leaned back in his arms.

She looked at him and saw the glow in his eyes, a true smile spread across his face. She couldn't believe he had done that. Without thinking, she reached up and pulled him into a kiss. The room fell away. Heat radiated through her as she realised he was kissing back. His warm lips tasted of coffee and matched her own in eagerness. It electrified every nerve in her body. His fingers moved to the back of her neck, tracing their way down, causing shivers to run through her spine.

He pulled away. "This is what you want?" he asked.

Not trusting herself to speak, she nodded. He leaned in closer and gently cupped her face, his lips brushed her cheek before moving back to her mouth. He kissed her slowly, she relaxed, melting into the kiss.

This is what she had been missing, what she wanted.

Unsure who pulled away first, both were breathless. Hermione felt like she might fall over if she kept standing. Draco took Hermione's hand and led her to sit on the edge of the bed next to him.

"That was quite a surprise," Hermione said. Her head was cloudy and lightheaded, suddenly glad to be sitting down. She looked between Draco and the sleeping cat and smiled.

"You're quite surprising yourself," Draco said. His eyes were black, showing only a hint of silver at the edge of his pupils. He continued to hold her hand, drawing light circles on her palm.

Hermione felt her cheeks redden. "I didn't plan to do that. It just happened," she shifted awkwardly, not sure how to talk about any of it. She changed the subject "How did you find him?"

He leaned over and stroked the sleeping cat. "It wasn't that hard. I worked out where the cave was from what you told me, then spent a few days looking for it. When I found him, I had to explain to him who I was, and how I knew you because he refused to come with me. Took a bit of convincing but eventually, he came, and he's been hanging out here ever since."

"I can't believe he was there. I can't believe you found him." She couldn't stop smiling, her head was still buzzing.

Draco slid to the head of the bed and propped himself up against some pillows, he patted the spot next to him. She pulled off her school robe and crawled over to join him. He put his arm around her as she rested her head on his chest as if it were completely normal, she felt very much at home, but also felt a strange tingling energy.

"I missed you," she said. She felt the change between them, something she couldn't explain in words.

He kissed the top of her head. "I'm happy you're back," he said. "Did you bring any new films?"

She gave him the list of new movies she brought back with her. Her TV looked quite comfortable set up on his bedside table, she asked if he was planning on keeping it. Instead of answering he suggested they watch a movie in his room, justifying his suggestion by claiming the cat was happy there and he shouldn't have to move.

"If you want me to stay, you could just ask," she teased.

"Are you suggesting I stole your TV and spent a whole day hunting for your cat just so I could get you to sleep with me?"

"Didn't you?" she said as she hopped off the bed to go the videos.

"I deny everything. But come back, okay?" he gave her a pitiful look. She shook her head at his poor attempt of humility. He instantly went back to his normal cocky self when he demanded her to bring snacks. She told him to get his own snacks but agreed to come back, after all, her cat was there.

As she bundled up her collection of films, toothbrush, medication and water bottle, she had a sudden sinking feeling about what was happening. Was she with Draco? What were they doing? Was this going too fast? Irrational thoughts buzzed through her brain, causing her to sit on the floor for a moment.

This was probably a bad idea. She put the medication and toothbrush back, assuring herself she would return to her room after the movie. She put on a t-shirt, and pyjama shorts then closed her red door and crept to the green one at the opposite end of the hallway.

They were back to their usual comfortableness with each other. Although Hermione had never stayed in Draco's room, it felt as welcoming as her own. They sat on Draco's bed and watched The Fifth Element while eating Draco's collection of Christmas chocolates. To Hermione's delight, Crookshanks came and sat on her lap, she took this as a sign of forgiveness, eventually he got too hot, then moved to the end of the bed to stretch the full width of it.

Partway through the movie, she found herself thinking about kissing Draco. Her fingers moved to her lips. Had she really done that? She'd surprised even herself. The more she thought about it, the more she wanted to do it again.

Glancing to the side, her eyes met his. She swallowed as a wave of heat rush through her. He moved closer, removing the short distance between them. Within seconds their lips met. She could feel energy racing between them. The kiss was fierce and unrestrained. A pleasant shiver ran through her, she wanted to be closer to him. She wrapped her bare leg around his, his hand gripped her waist, hot on her exposed skin.

She had never felt this energy with anyone else. She saw magic flowing around them. Unsure if it was real she saw pulsing colours and sparks that matched her rapid heartbeat. Her hands skimmed over his skin, she followed the firm lines of his arms, of his back. She pulled him hard against her chest, his arms circled her as he rolled her onto her back. She stopped thinking.

There was a knock on the door. They ignored it. The knocking continued, whoever it was wasn't giving up. Draco pulled away. Raising himself to hover just above her. He lowered down and kissed the tip of her nose before rolling off the bed and storming toward the door.

"What!" he yelled as he opened the door a crack. There was angry mumbling from the doorway that Hermione couldn't make out. She figured from the familiar tone that it was Theo. This was followed by a loud, "Fuck off, Theo, I'm busy!" confirming her theory.

Draco slammed the door and turned around. He paused as if thinking through an idea. He rubbed his temple. "As much as I hate to say this, I think we're getting ahead of ourselves," Draco said, his voice laced with regret.

Hermione ran her hands through her hair. That was the last thing she expected to hear from him. "That sounds like something I'd say, so why are you saying it?" she asked.

She watched him walk to the bed.

"I don't know. I didn't plan for this to happen yet."

Yet? She thought, had he thought about this before? He looked conflicted, she'd never seen him look indecisive or uncertain about anything. This must be new for him. She forgot her frustration and started giggling.

"That's not exactly what I was expecting," he said, reaching the bedside table and handed Hermione the bottle of water.

"I'm sorry, I was mad we were interrupted—then I saw your face," she laughed again, taking the water. "You looked so concerned and sorry and cute." She buried her face in her pillow to stop laughing.

"I was trying to be serious and considerate," he said.

"I know, I'm sorry. But it's kind of the last thing I expected from you," she said, regaining her composure enough to drink the water.

"I'm glad you share everyone else's high opinion of me," he said. His mood had flipped in an instant.

"I didn't mean that," Hermione said with a sinking feeling, seeing his face turn back to his cold mask, his eyes locked onto the TV avoiding her own.

"I want to do this right." He turned to capture her gaze. "I actually like you Hermione, and I know I'll fuck it up pretty fast, but I'm at least going to try to do this the right way." A jolt shot though her. She didn't know what to say. She thought this was all sexual tension, not that he had feelings for her.

"It's okay if you don't feel the same," he said, looking back at the TV. He was a different person when he was serious. Intimidating. Hermione swallowed, her mouth suddenly feeling dry. She felt stupid for feeling nervous, she had never been good at hiding her feelings, she wanted to know where this could be heading.

She took another sip of water. "I like you Draco. I may have only just worked it out, but we do work well together. Maybe we could just see where this leads—if you want to that is?" she said as she sat cross-legged on the bed, her head was still spinning.

He didn't speak, instead walked over to the bed and leaned over to kiss her. It was a fierce possessive kiss, his unspoken answer to her question. "You don't know what you're getting yourself into."

"I'm sure I don't," she said. She truly had no idea, she thought to herself.

He sat next to her on the bed. "As long as it doesn't mess up our potions project, if it does we stop. I can't let anything screw that up," he said.

"Agreed," she said. She needed the potion to work more than anything, she couldn't handle failing because of something as silly as a romantic fling. That wasn't her. She knew Draco would put the potion ahead of anything else as well.

They both tried to settle back into a comfortable watching position. It was tough to focus on the rest of the film. Once the movie finished, Hermione tried to follow the plan set in her mind.

"I better go," Hermione said, reaching for her school robes.

"No, please stay," he said, grabbing her hand as she tried to get off the bed, "we can just sleep—I promise—just one more movie first."

A debate broke out in her mind. Was this a good idea? Was she reading too much into this? They'd slept together before, why was this any different? She told her brain to shut up. Against logic and her usual rational decision making, she sank back down to the bed.

"Okay, but only because Crookshanks looks so happy here. I don't have the heart to move him." She refrained from squeezing the cat and settled on patting his fluffy head, then pressed his little feet pads. Crookshanks blinked in disapproval.

"Sure Princess. You tell yourself whatever you need to," he said, rolling out of the way of her hand as she tried to whack him. He placed another video in before taking off his shirt and getting back into bed. Hermione shifted back to let him in. He touched her shoulder blade where the black blotch veiled her natural skin. He traced the cold edges of it, his warm fingers seared through the surface of the curse. It felt nice.

"We need to fix this," Draco said.

"Tomorrow," Hermione said sleepily. Though they had slept in the same bed a few times now, this somehow felt different. She turned over and rested her head on Draco's chest, his arm pulled her in close. They could fix everything tomorrow. Right then, it was perfect. She pushed other thoughts to the back of her mind.

* * *

_AN- Hope everyone liked that chapter, it took me a long time to write but is one of my favourites so far. Those who are following, thank for you for continuing to read 😊 I've had a good first 4 days of NaNoWriMo and will try to keep up to date with editing and posting this fic. Happy reading 😊_


	18. Chapter 18- Something's a Brewing

**Chapter Eighteen**

**Something****'s a Brewing**

They were officially starting the potion. Hermione checked the ingredients sitting on the bench one last time. Everything had been weighed and measured, ready to add to the potion in order. Timing was everything. The first four hours they needed to add alternating ingredients to establish the base. Then two hours of low simmering, followed by another four hours of adding alternating ingredients. Then the same, one more time. The process had to take place at night, specifically, three days past a full moon.

Setting in for the long haul, Hermione had everything she thought they would need to stay up all night, snacks (placed away from the working area), reading material (for the simmering times) and perhaps most importantly, hot water for tea and a flask of coffee (filled to the brim from Draco's magical machine).

She stood in front of the cauldron, hands on hips. The distilled water with Dong duai and mystic ginseng had been boiling for one hour as they measured everything out.

"I think we've done all the preparing we can do, let's get on with this," Draco said.

"Right. You're in charge of adding all the base ingredients in the correct order, I'll add the alternating crampbark and boneset. Then I'll also add the first dragons blood-valerian powder at the end of the four hours before simmering. Got it?" Hermione ordered more than asked.

"Fine, but I get to add the powdered moonstone in the morning," Draco said.

She agreed, knowing Malfoy would enjoy the dramatic explosion much more than herself. She was more interested in the result of adding the moonstone. At that point, after the explosion, the potion should turn into a shimmering, spiralling pool—an indicator that they prepared their brew with correct timing and precise measurements.

The potion started off well. Hermione set timers next to each ingredient as it needed to be added. Time dragged as if purposefully slowed for that night. The constant buzz of alarms every few minutes was starting to make Hermione grind her teeth. They experimented with magically altering the alarms to pass the time, bird song, chainsaws, church bells, dogs barking, car horns, screaming banshees; not overly relaxing sounds but kept them alert.

Adding the items was brain-numbing, as long as they were adding in the correct order, it didn't involve much thinking. Add an item, stir in a particular direction for thirty seconds, wait for the timer, add the next ingredient, stir, wait, repeat. It was a necessary process that had to be done.

After they made the base potion, they could then separate it out into smaller cauldrons to create their experimental batches with different preparations of moon-flower seeds.

Hermione felt her eyelids drooping several times. The first time she was startled awake by a horrible goose-honking alarm, the second time Draco threw his balled up a scarf at her head. At that point, she retrieved the coffee.

Several hours later, the castle slept in hushed shadows. Hermione and Draco got into a steady rhythm, ticking off each item as they added it on the elaborate recording table Hermione had created. Draco had taken to pacing the room between his turns. Hermione was sitting in an uncomfortable chair, trying to read. She was getting more annoyed every time Draco walked past her.

"So, how was your Christmas and New year? Did you do anything fun?" Hermione asked, putting her book on her lap.

"Not particularly, I just tried to ignore it mostly." He didn't stop pacing. His shirt was untucked, school tie thrown in a pile with his robes. This wasn't the well dressed, proper Malfoy. It was casual Malfoy other never got to see.

Getting more frustrated at his ceaseless pacing, she decided the best idea was to fill the silence. "So I talked to Tonks when she was drunk. And I've been thinking a lot about it. I think we could find a way into the Aurors Department and borrow a wand to remove the Marker curses ourselves. All we need to do is get to the Records department and activate the revealing spell to update the record book, sign off on it as an Auror then do the removal spell."

He stopped in front of her. "You've got to be joking. For someone who's supposed to be intelligent, you're sounding bloody stupid. There's no way we can get in there and go unnoticed. Plus we need an Aurors wand—they aren't exactly known for being easy to steal from." He stopped pacing and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.

"I think we can do it. I can easily go in there to visit Harry or Tonks for lunch, then it's just a matter of borrowing one of their wands and getting further into the department. We could say it's for a research project."

"That may be easy for you, I can't exactly walk in there unnoticed." He started pacing the room again.

She stood up, "Will you stop pacing so we can talk about this, please."

"I enjoy pacing."

She stepped into his path as he turned to start another lap of the room. "Draco, we need to fix this."

He took a step closer to her, so close she had to look up at him, towering over her. "Your intimidation won't work on me Draco."

"Who said anything about intimidation." He stared straight into her eyes, testing her. She refused to break the stare. She bit her bottom lip. Something in Draco's eyes flickered, a weakness perhaps? Taking half a step forward, she was close enough to feel energy radiating off him without touching. He swallowed. She gave him a sly smile and narrowed her eyes, holding his gaze.

"Damn you, Granger." He pulled her in. The kiss was rough, urgent. The space between them dissolved in breathless giddiness. She could smell a mix of familiar cologne and their potion on him. She wanted to feel more. Her hands found their way under his shirt, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, pulling him in closer. Draco swung her around, pressing her against the wall. She let out a gasp as the cold stone touched her back. He paused, drawing back. She didn't want him to stop. She reached up and pulled him back to her.

Alarms started going off around them, screeching eagles, a cat howling, an angry goose, and kettle whistling, all growing in intensity. He pulled away and rushed to add his ingredients in time. Hermione pushed herself off the wall and straightened her clothes, she ran her fingers through her hair to try flatten it as she regained her breath. She sat down at the bench, watching Draco meticulously add the ingredients. She liked that about him, his dedication and obsession with the potion.

Once he finished his task, he sat across the bench from Hermione, letting out a long breath. "That escalated quickly," he said, running a hand through his hair. "Too much?"

"Well, no, but we could have screwed up the potion. So yes, perhaps we are getting ahead of ourselves again." She looked up at him, unsure of how he would react.

"You're right. We can't get distracted. Nothing is more important than this potion." He looked at her as if questioning her motivation.

She nodded, "So maybe we should pause this—whatever we have going here, and wait until we finish the potion. We could have destroyed everything we've worked towards, everything we planned for months in just a few seconds because of one missed ingredient. I don't think we can afford to do that," she said reluctantly.

He nodded. "It's obvious you can't control yourself around me, we can't have that impeding the potion."

She tried to whack him across the table but was too slow. He laughed. "You know, I've thought about this before. I feel like this could go either way with us. Either things go spectacularly well—or the opposite and we kill each other—no middle ground. If something bad happens we're already in too deep, we could easily destroy each other's lives."

"So you've thought about this before?" Hermione asked, resting her chin on her hands.

He leaned in closer. "Yes. I've thought about it a lot. However, I wasn't planning on doing anything about it until we had finished the project. That plan went out the window when you jumped me the other night."

"I didn't jump you." She felt her face turning red. "You have a surprising amount of control Malfoy, I'll give you that."

"More than you apparently," he teased, causing her blush further. He chuckled, "But this potion is more important than us getting laid, so let's take it easy so we don't screw this up. But I'd very much like the chance to see how we kill each other at a later date."

"I'd very much like to find out as well," she said. He placed his hand on top of hers, then pulled it back and stood up.

"So—let's just sit at other ends of the bench and get back to work. It will only take a month to do the potion, well, till the 1st of Feb for the first trial. Less than a month. We can wait that long right?" he said with raised eyebrows.

"Yes, of course we can. It's just a matter of focusing all our energy on the potion and getting these Marker Curses removed. We'll be far too busy to think about anything else," she said as if trying to convince herself it was true.

"We should stop sleeping in the same bed then. I can't keep promises if we keep that up," he said.

"Fine. We can do that. But can I make an exception with Cruciatus relapses and extreme nightmares?" she asked.

"Okay, but only if you behave yourself," he said.

She rolled her eyes, they silently got back to work. She tried to keep focused, but kept catching herself sneaking sideways glances at Draco before she even knew she was doing it. This would be a long month.

* * *

Hermione and Draco sat at opposite ends of Hermione's bed, with Crookshanks stretched out across the centre. A week had gone by since their first brewing. The all-nighter had resulted in a successful explosion from the powered moonstone, enough to rattle the jars on the shelves and knock Hermione and Draco out of their sleepy states. After the initial excitement, Hermione was relieved to see the swirling opalescent indicator, telling them the potion base was a success.

The pair had kept themselves apart from one another physically during the week. This proved much harder than Hermione anticipated. She could feel a spark of energy whenever Draco passed her in a hallway, or a skipped heartbeat when he glanced at her at mealtimes, most of all when she felt the flitting of her golden quill as trying to write notes in class.

As much as the potions project and research on the Auror Marker Curse consumed her time, Draco filled her thoughts. She told herself she was being stupid, giving in to ridiculous hormonal feelings. She never wanted to be that girl. She had always ignored Lavender or Pavarti whenever they were giggly and silly about boys, and they knew better than to include her. She now knew what they were talking about in all those late-night conversations she'd tried to block out in their dorm.

Hermione tried to push all these thoughts out of her mind as she sat on the bed, looking across at Draco who was patting Crookshanks. Focus, Hermione, she told herself. She blinked her eyes back to the room.

"So, how about this Friday for a visit to the Aurors office? We don't have any classes." Hermione said.

"What?—you were serious about that?" Draco said, looking at her as if she were crazy.

"Yes, of course. I can ask Harry to lunch, swap out his wand then walk back to his office with him, bump into you there and ask if he can give us a look around because I'm interested in becoming an Auror and coincidently so are you."

"A few issues with that; what reason would I have to be there in the first place? Why would anyone think I'd want to become an Auror? And why would you invite me to go with you? Potter might be an idiot, but he won't buy all that," Draco said.

"You could be there asking for visiting papers for your parents in Azkaban. You _are_ interested in Aurors as we were talking about it in Defence Against the Dark Arts and you wanted to look into it further. And Harry would believe me inviting you along on the tour because he knows I am a nice person who likes to help people and also knows we're doing a project together. It's not that far fetched," she said bunching up her hair and trying it in a loose knot.

"You are crazy, you know—though very convincing. I'm starting to see why Potter and Weasel got into all that trouble. You could be a Slytherin" He unfolded his legs from his sitting position and stretched out to recline across the end of the bed, much like the cat, his head propped up by one hand. She found herself staring at him. She pushed her thoughts back, really hoping he didn't know legilimency.

"I will take that as a compliment and assume you agree with my plan." She started adjusting the knot in her hair, taking it out and re-tieing it.

"Hey, I didn't say that. What happens if we're caught in the records room? What if there are detectors or something that can sense the Marker Curse? How are we going to get out if that happens?"

She could feel his eyes boring into her. "We won't get caught." Looking up briefly, her eyes met his, she could see the concern. "If we get caught, I'll make sure nothing happens to you. We can make a cover story, one for why we were in there, and another for why we have the Marks if it comes to that. Okay?"

He rolled onto his back and sighed. "If you say so, Granger. They better be some bloody good cover stories."

"Let's get started then." She leant forward to pat the Crookshanks who was purring away loudly. Malfoy groaned to himself.

* * *

AN- Thank you for the comments and follows. My nanowrimo project is going great, after 9 days I've hit 20,000 words.

I'll have another chapter for this to put up early next week sometime. Happy reading :)


	19. Chapter 19- A Visit to the Aurors

**Chapter Nineteen**

**A Visit to the Aurors**

Hermione walked calmly across Diagon Alley. After all, she was just meeting Harry there for lunch, nothing unusual. That's what she told herself anyway. Her stomach felt like she'd swallowed a pile of bludgers. She never lied to her friends on purpose, especially not to Harry. But if they got caught, she didn't want any connections to lead back to him.

She was wearing black army style boots with a silencer charm on them with black jeans and a grey tight-fitting sweater. Over this, she wore her favourite shimmering black robe with stars inside, it was light and charmed to stay warm through the harshest windchill.

Hermione felt like she was being pushed along by the icy breeze racing up the alley. She knew it was cold but felt like she was boiling inside, unsure if it was because of her wonderful coat or the pressure she could feel building, the lies ready to consume her.

She was meeting Harry in one of her favourite cafes; The Charming Cupcake. As she entered the quaint shop, she barely noticed the wave of warm air intertwined with fresh tea and sweet icing. She spotted Harry in the corner, no doubt avoiding reporters. She waved and walked over, gave him a quick hug and sat down, not taking her usual time to admire the various pasties, pastries, pies and cupcakes along the front counter.

Their lunch was uneventful. Hermione did her best to appear normal. She ordered a large pot of tea to share, then another when they finished it. She expected Harry would drink most of it without realising, as she charmed the teapot to continuously fill his cup, taking a leaf out of Tonk's book. Eventually, he had to make a trip to the loo. Just as Hermione suspected, he left his wand sitting on the table, trusting she would keep an eye on it.

Her hands were sweating as the strong surge of guilt rose in her throat. She felt terrible betraying Harry. Her chest felt tight, and her hands were shaking as she pulled a replica of Harry's wand from her bag and replaced it with the real one. She tucked the real thing into a pocket of her handbag and looked around to make sure nobody saw, grateful Harry had picked a secluded corner.

She tried to compose herself as she saw Harry making his way back. Tucking her hands under the table, she gave her best, forced smile as Harry sat back down. Thankful the Dreamless Sleep had left her system, or she wouldn't be able to hold a cup at all. He didn't seem to notice.

She let herself relax and found herself nodding along enthusiastically to Harry's story about his latest run in with reporters. His new tactic was to speak in parsletongue whenever he could. His most recent episode occurred in the supermarket involving a can of beans, a fake snake and a terrified Daily Profit reporter.

Part one was over. She finished the last crumbs from the rainbow dream cupcake and smiled to herself, she could feel the rainbows in her stomach and she had Harry's wand.

Harry was heading back to work, he asked Hermione if she still wanted a Department tour. She enthusiastically said yes.

They stepped onto the humming street, as the chilling breezed swirled around them. Harry linked his arm with Hermione's and apparated them straight to the Aurors entrance of the Department. They walked toward the front desk to sign Hermione in as a visitor.

"Shite, just what we need," Harry said. Flicking his head to show an unamused looking Draco leaning against one of the ornate pillars in the reception area. As they tried to cross the distance to the reception desk, Draco stepped into their path, arms crossed.

"Well, well, Hermione, I see our saviour the Chosen one still requires you to do his homework for him. Regretting getting a free ride on the Newts Potter? Can't hack the Auror training?"

"Did you just insult me and compliment Hermione at the same time? And since when did you call her Hermione?" Harry said, stepping up to Draco. Hermione followed Harry, a her legs feeling weak.

"Clearly she was the brains of your operation. I have no problem giving credit where credit is due," Draco said.

Harry stood there, blinking, eyes shifting between them. Hermione was quick to step in.

"Harry, remember I told you Malfoy, and I are working on a potions project together. We've come to a—truce—you could say." Draco glared at Harry, a subtle smirk tweaked in the corner of his mouth.

"You will have to excuse me, I'm not as forgiving or kind hearted as Hermione. I feel sorry for her if she has to work with you. Consider yourself lucky Malfoy," Harry said.

"Believe me, Potter—I do," Draco said. This time, turning his gaze to Hermione. She felt her cheeks go red, hoping Harry didn't notice. But Harry most certainly noticed. He stood there for a second, eyeing Draco and Hermione suspiciously.

"Harry," she said, turning to face him. "Can Draco joins us for the tour, we've been studying this place in Defence. I've always wanted to see the Auror library and Records Departments in particular."

"Um sure, if you're okay with that and assuming the ferret actually wants to look around, are you actually here for a reason?" Harry said, he still hadn't taken his eyes off Draco.

"I am waiting for some papers. But sure, thanks for the warm invite Potter—seems I've got nothing better to do. The paperwork takes a little longer every time, funny that." Draco said shooting an evil look at the receptionist who was painting her nails, not processing his paperwork.

"If you're sure Hermione," Harry said. Seeing her smile and nod, he retrieved two visitor badges off the desk and gestured for them to follow him.

They wandered through the maze of surprisingly modern hallways. Friendly wooden doors turned to more ominous steel the deeper they ventured into the world of Aurors. Hermione felt her heart beat increasing as they walked. Draco kept glancing at her, silently questioning if she was okay. She tried her best to give him a reassuring look back and focused on looking normal. Harry was chatting away, giving them a run down on what was behind each door.

Hermione took note of the Records Department as they passed it. Harry didn't find it the least bit odd that Hermione asked a million questions, even the specific ones on how to enter certain rooms. Draco remained silent for most of the tour. Hermione saw every odd look Harry directed towards him.

They turned down a new corridor with a clear sign; Auror Department Library. Hermione's heart skipped a beat. She forgot their mission upon seeing the vault like doors that would lead them into one of the most famous and mysterious libraries in the Wizarding world. Harry knocked on the door three times and said a password Hermione couldn't quite hear.

The doors creaked open by themselves, revealing a long, low ceilinged room with alcoves of stone archways all filled with books. It had the feeling of being underground, but the warm glow of lamps made it cosy and welcoming. Hermione gave a squeal of delight as they entered the room. She grabbed Draco's arm in excitement, unaware she did so.

"Look at all these books! We could find all the limited edition and restricted potion books in here." She shook his arm, getting a little too excited, she couldn't stop smiling. That was until she saw the look on Harry's face.

"Hermione, you do know you're touching Malfoy?" Harry said, looking like he was ready to hurl a hex at Draco. Hermione and Draco exchanged a look that didn't go unnoticed. Hers, a wince in apology. His, raised eyebrows as if to say 'don't blame me'.

She removed her hands from Draco and faced the glare from Harry. "So you two are just working on a potion, huh?" Harry questioned.

"Not that it's any of your business Potter—but yes, we are working on a potion together," Draco answered.

"Harry," Hermione said, "Draco and I are friends, now, I guess. So I would appreciate it if you were nice to him." She moved closer to Draco, warning Harry off trying to hex him—not that his wand would work, but he didn't need to find that out.

"Hermione, how can you be friends with him after the way he treated all of us, especially you. He was a Death Eater not so long ago—remember?"

She could feel the tension in Draco building up and saw him reach for his wand out of the corner of her eye. She stepped in front of Draco when Harry raised his wand to an attack position.

"Harry, I won't let you hurt him," she said, standing her ground. "Draco, put your wand away." Her eyes still locked on Harry.

She felt Draco's hands on her shoulders, telling her his wand was away, then a whisper on her neck, too quiet for Harry to hear, "Who would have thought, Hermione Granger, defending a Malfoy against Harry Potter."

She was well aware Draco did that to wind up Harry. "You are not helping. Don't make me hex you," she whispered back over her shoulder, and Draco took a step back. It wasn't exactly the impression she had wanted to give Harry, and she certainly didn't want Harry to try to use his fake wand.

"Since when does a Malfoy do anything someone asks? He just did what you said Hermione without arguing or calling you a mudblood or anything. Explain that," Harry said.

"Harry lower your wand, I won't talk to you while you're aiming that at us," Hermione said.

"To answer your question Pothead, you may recall I changed sides in the war. I have been trying not to use such language, so would appreciate it if you didn't either." Draco said.

Harry was fuming, his jaw set against Draco, eyes filled with hate.

"Hermione had been an integral part in helping me stay sane, despite the whole school and the Wizarding world hating me. She's the most forgiving person I've ever met, so don't take this out on her. You, however, are free to continue hating me." Draco said.

Hermione blinked and turned to face Draco. "Really?"

"Of course" Draco replied without changing his expression. Hermione had a sudden urge to kiss him but restrained herself, knowing Harry could only deal with so much. She turned back to face Harry.

"Harry, he's different now. He helped me stop taking the Dreamless Sleep, and he found Crookshanks. Plus he's a far more capable lab partner than you or Ron ever were."

Harry lowered his wand and rubbed his forehead. "Well that last bit isn't that impressive, me and Ron weren't exactly interested in potions. But Ginny and Sirius told me about the Dreamless Sleep and said someone helped you out a lot. I'm surprised that it was Malfoy, but I'm glad someone was there to help you." Harry said, though didn't look happy about it.

Hermione rushed over to Harry and hugged him. "Thank you, Harry."

"I'm glad Crookshanks in back, I know how much you missed him," Harry said.

"It's so nice to have him back." She released him from the hug, as she did so whispered, "Don't you dare hex or curse him, or you will be sorry." She stepped back and smiled.

Harry leaned in close to her, in a low voice, "I won't hesitate if he gives me reason, make sure he doesn't give me a reason Hermione. I won't let him hurt you, and I still don't trust him."

She ignored Harry's comment with a huff out her nostrils and turned back to Draco smiling. He gave her a blank look. He missed that last bit of the conversation. She stood next to Draco and scanned the room. No one else was in there, it appeared to be an unstaffed, self-checkout library. Just what they needed.

"Is it okay if Draco and I try to find a few potions books we need for our project? I can copy out what information we need if we can't take any books," she asked.

"How about I leave you down here for an hour or so while I finish up some paper work, then I'll come back and see what books you have, I'm only allowed to check out certain ones."

"Sounds perfect Harry, take longer if you need to. This will take us at least an hour and a half," she said, pulling out a long list to show Harry, hoping to buy them a little more time. Harry rolled his eyes then shot Draco a warning look before heading out of the room.

"Let's get all the books before we go to the Records Department, just in case we're late getting back here."

"What, you're serious about getting books. I thought that was just our cover."

"It is our cover, but this is the most up-to-date library in the Wizarding World. I am not passing up this opportunity," she said as she smoothed the long list out on a nearby table having already looked up the titles in advance.

She started reading the list aloud and waved her wand, within seconds the _Accioed_ books were flying towards them and circling the air faster than books should travel. Draco ducked as soon as he saw the first book hurtling towards them.

The list was extensive; _Advanced Potion-Making _by Libatius Borage_, Important Modern Magical Discoveries, Magical Drafts and Potions by _Arsenius Jigger_, Moste Potente Potions, Secrets of the Darkest Art, The Dark Arts Outsmarted_ and _Advanced Potions and the Use of Expensive and Rare Ingredients_ by Tiberius Cricket. In addition to this, the recent editions of the Wizarding Journals; _The Practical Potioneer_ and _Healers Monthly Marvels_.

As she finished the list, she waved her wand towards the vortex of books and gently lowered them into a neat pile on the table. Draco scanned over the titles. "But we already have half these books." He pinched his fingers on the bridge of his nose.

"Yes but these are the most recent editions, we need them so we have the most up-to-date source to reference for our paper. Plus I want to read them," she said, checking the pile.

With all the books piled up, they quickly went over the plan to enter the Records room. They had to backtrack through the Department, down a few corridors then hopefully Harry's wand would be enough to allow them entry to the room. Once there they would find the file, remove the Marker Curse and be on their merry way.

They headed for the door, as Hermione stepped out into the hallway, she told herself to act natural. She walked confidently down the hall, Draco by her side, looking as serious and arrogant as ever. She wondered how he always kept up the act.

She could feel her heartbeat in her head as they turned down another corridor, one step closer to the Records Department. They passed a few people, Hermione held her breath as they walked by, nothing happened, apparently no one cared about two strangers wandering the hallways. It was a big department after all.

They turned down the final corridor, she could see the imposing steel door near the end. She was aware of every footstep they took, even though she had put silencing charms on both their shoes, she was sure everyone could hear them coming. They reached the door. She pulled out Harry's wand and touched it to the steely surface. Nothing happened. She took in a deep breath so she could think straight. There shouldn't be a password. She tapped the door three times, the same way Harry did on the library door. To her relief, the door made a series of metallic clicking sounds before swinging open.

They entered the darkened room. The door slammed shut behind them as soon as they stepped clear of the entrance. Hermione looked back, concerned they wouldn't get out. That was future Hermione's problem. She directed Draco down the first row of files to check one side, while she checked the other. They attempted to work out the system. After ten minutes of frantic searching she was getting concerned there was no system, her brain started to fizz with panic. The order of filing didn't fit with any logic.

"This system is crazy, can you see anything that might give us a hint at the order of filing here?" she asked, biting her fingernails.

"No, it looks like it was set up by deranged house elves," Draco replied. "For all we know the Auror Marker Curses are filed under 'misused mushrooms'," he said, pointing to a box of scrolls with pictures of mushrooms on it. As soon as he finished his sentence, a soft ding of a bell echoed a few shelves over, they followed the chiming until they came to several glowing stacks of scrolls, each with a different date hovering over the end of each one. One pile was labelled 'Mushroom Mishaps', the other one that was glowing said 'Marker Curse Records'.

"Draco you did it! It heard you and found the scrolls. We just need the right date. Maybe if you ask it?" she said, bouncing on her toes.

"Twenty-second of December," Draco said in a clear voice.

Silence. A faint chiming followed. The bells stopped, and two scrolled shuffled themselves forward, high in the top of the pile. Draco looked at Hermione, shrugged, before reaching up to slide out the two scrolls. He handed one to Hermione, and they unrolled them. Hermione struggled to control her shaking hands. She read through the document before comparing it to the one Draco was holding, they were the same.

The date, location and description of events at Knockturn matched their exact experience. They didn't have much time left.

"You do mine first, that way if something goes wrong you run back and get Potter, then pretend you had nothing to do with this," Draco said. Hermione nodded but didn't like it.

Draco rolled up the back of his trouser leg to expose the black, tendrilly splotch. He then knelt on the floor with his leg awkwardly to the side so they could both see it, unsure of what might happen. Hermione knelt down, placing the unrolled documents next to her. She pointed Harry's wand at the Mark and said the revealing charm—"_Revelio Homonculous Incantatum_."

She heard Draco draw in a sharp breath and looked up to make sure he was okay. He gave her a nod without saying anything, but could see the pained expression on his face. The Mark began pulsing from black to deep red, spreading out from the centre and down the vein-like tendrils. New writing appeared in red on the page next to her. It had filled in the blanks in the document with details on Draco, clearly stating the Mark was connected to him.

Suddenly the main door flew open. A man dressed in dark Auror robes lunged across the room to where they were sprawled on the floor. His wand held high in attack position, a determined look on his face. His eyes squinted, and head tilted as he realised he was facing a pair of teenagers, perhaps expecting to encounter a Death Eater of two. He blinked in confusion before regained composure.

"I know you both from the papers. Didn't expect to find a couple of teenagers in here, what are you up to ay? Didn't think you'd be the sort to get tied up with Death Eaters Miss, not with your good name and all." He nodded towards Hermione, slightly lowering his wand. He didn't see them as a real threat. "My partners, on the way. Sorry, I must restrain you both now."

Hermione was wild, she was sick of people calling Draco a Death Eater. She felt the stress from the day tip her over the edge, turning her blood to liquid anger. Just as he opened his mouth, Hermione shot a _Stupify _at him, followed by rapid_ Incarcerous_. Clearly, he wasn't expecting that. Neither was Draco. Hermione looked up at him, she never thought she could catch him off guard, but he looked as stunned as the Auror.

"Draco, help me move him over to that corner," she said, snapping her fingers at him, breaking him out of shock.

"I really did not expect that, you're scary at times, you know?" he said. They dragged the unconscious, well tied up man into a dimly lit corner.

"His partner will arrive any second, let me remove your Mark now." She dragged him back over to the parchment on the floor.

"No, let me do your one first, then you can get out of here," he said.

"No—we stick with the plan," she said firmly.

"Fine, hurry up then."

She bent down to do the removal charm, knowing it would cause excruciating pain to Draco, hoping it wouldn't be bad enough to stop them escaping the room. The words were on the tip of her tongue when the door flew open again. Both intuitively slid to the side and flattened themselves against the shelf behind them. They raised their wands, ready to stun the man's partner, both knowing they didn't have much hope against a trained Auror.

Draco stepped out before Hermione could do anything.

He was hit. A flash of blue light knocked him back into Hermione, causing them to both stumble into the shelves. The attacker remained hidden. Hermione checked that Draco was breathing. Unsure what spell hit him, she performed a _Finite Incantartum_ then concluded that he was only winded. The moaning in between his gasps for breath were a good sign. Hermione stepped over him and slid as close as she could to the end of the row of books. She peaked out to the main area. The new Auror was crouching near their partner, and had dragged a table over to cover them.

Hermione made the split second decision, it was the moment to take a chance. She left Draco moaning on the floor and sprinted across the room, straight for the Aurors. The silencing charm on her shoes working just as planned. She caught the Auror off guard and without thinking threw her most powerful binding charm and a s_tupify_ at the form behind the table. Not taking any chances she summoned a _Protego_ around herself then threw an _Incarcerous_ in for good measure.

She slid back behind another bookshelf, prepared for retaliation if her spells failed. She waited a minute, trying to breathe quietly, her breath competed with her racing heart. Nothing moved. She crept back to Draco to check he was all right. He winced as she helped him sit up, he wasn't hurt. They waited another minute for him to regain his breath before Hermione motioned for Draco to follow her.

They stayed low to the ground and crept to the back wall near the Aurors and peaked around the table from a safe distance. Hermione let out a small yelp. The second Auror was leaning on the first, frozen and bound up in a tangled nest of excessive rope. A loud grumbling moan came from the mass of rope. Her _stupify_ hadn't worked. A hint of spikey orange and purple hair poked through the few gaps.

Hermione raced over before Draco could pull her back. She frantically started untangling the ropes. "No, no, no. I'm so sorry," she mumbled, her fingers slipping, unable to pull the ropes apart. Draco pulled her back and gave her a questioning look, clearly concerned.

"It's Tonks Draco! I have to get her out." He sighed and shook his head.

"_Finite Incantatum_," he said, then looked over at Hermione.

"Oh," was all she said.

"Forgot you were a witch?" Draco teased.

A flush crept across her cheeks. Draco smirked. Hermione remembered Tonks, who was now unravelling herself from the loosened rope. She did not look happy. Her flaming orange and purple hair was standing on end, her eyes flashed red as she moved slowly and deliberately toward Hermione. She wasn't stunned, only tangled.

"You — and you. I warned you—" Tonks was fuming, her colourful hair sparking.

"I'm so sorry, Tonks. I didn't know it was you," Hermione said as she shrunk against the wall.

"Are you aware how serious it is to attack an Auror? You're bloody lucky it was me or you two would be on your way to Azkaban right now." Tonks turned her attention to her unconscious partner, crouching next to him to check he was breathing. She straightened and marched straight up to Draco.

"Why are you here? And what have you dragged Hermione into?" She said, poking her wand into Draco's chest. Hermione jumped straight to Draco's side, but to her surprise, Draco didn't retaliate. He let Tonks continue without even attempting to raise his wand. "And you, Hermione, I know I was drunk, but I distinctly remember telling you to stay away from my dear cousin here."

Hermione's voice caught in her throat. She had never seen Tonks this serious before, she was always fun and easy going. Auror Tonks was next level scary. Hermione attempted to speak again. "You see—"

Draco cut in. "You're right I dragged Hermione into this, it isn't her fault. She came with me that day when I should have told her to stay away. We got caught up in some trouble, and now we could really use your help." She had never seen Draco pleading before, or ever lowering himself to ask for help. Even Tonks did a double take, her eyes now narrowed on Draco.

"That isn't true Tonks. Draco couldn't have stopped me going with him that day so it's not like anything would be different. We equally got ourselves into this mess—what he said is true, we desperately need your help," Hermione pleaded.

"I think you two better tell me what this is all about and I'll see if I need to arrest you," Tonks said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Hermione gave her a grateful look before delving straight into their story about the day at Knockturn Alley. She explained what they were doing there and how vital their potion was. She made sure it sounded more like her idea than Draco's. When she got to the part about the Auror raid on the Alley, Tonks started looking concerned. Clearly not expecting this direction of events.

Hermione explained how they tried to escape undetected, but ended up in a desperate scramble across the rooftops defending themselves. How Hermione felt something hit her, but they continued on to their eventual escape into Diagon Alley and then to the hotel.

Tonks was shaking her head in wonder. "You two are lucky you got away, the team was fuming about the two escapees for weeks. Gerads was the one chasing you—No." Tonks's eyes widened, she paused. "He claimed two hits with an Auror Marker Curse."

Hermione looked at Tonks and felt her chest go tight. "I'm so sorry, Tonks," she pleaded. "We thought if we came in here and removed the Marks no one would ever check and we would get away without anyone finding out."

Tonks ran her hand through her now all purple hair and took a step back to lean against a bookshelf.

"So can you remove them?" Draco said.

Hermione wondered yet again how he could maintain his demeanour. She knew it was an act, but she couldn't help but wonder how he did it.

Tonks looked between them both. She let out a shaky breath. "I can. But there is every chance Gerads will check up on the records if he notices the alerts on your Marks have been removed. Lucky for you he has the largest number of alerts on Marker Curses right now, so we'll just have to hope he doesn't miss two. If he checks, he'll come straight to me— I can possibly do a memory modification if the situation is right, but let's hope it doesn't come to that. I could lose my job for this."

"I know Tonks, we both really appreciate it," Hermione said, grasping Draco's hand.

He looked at and her. "You're not very good at keeping to your personal space."

She was confused for a second before realising. She looked at Tonks in horror. Tonks chuckled.

"Um—Draco's just my friend. We aren't together or anything," Hermione said, yet again feeling the heat creep across her cheeks.

"You two keep telling yourselves that and I'm sure it will be true. Just don't expect anyone else to believe you." Tonks said. Hermione gave Draco an apologetic look, though he didn't appear to mind and gave her hand a squeeze in reassurance.

"Right let's get this over with, I'll need to revive my partner soon and make up some bullshit story that makes me look incompetent thanks to you two."

Draco handed Tonks the documents. She ordered Hermione to stand in front of her and show her the Mark. Hermione took off her cloak and sweater, leaving her in a thin top, a chill swept across her causing her arm hair to stand on end. Unsure if it was the cold room, or the fear of what was to come, she felt sick and uneasy.

Tonks examined the Mark before performing the same revealing charm Hermione had done on Draco. A sharp stabbing pain hit the Mark with an intensity Hermione never expected, she stumbled forward, relieved to grasp a solid bookshelf. Her eyes were closed, but she felt Draco right next to her. Both ice and fire shot into the Mark, she could feel it pulsing out across her shoulder blade. Unsure how she could feel such extreme heat and cold all in one place, she struggled not to cry out. The pain subsided, but a slow pulsing of hot and cold continued.

Tonks looked satisfied with both their papers. "Okay, now comes the hard part. This will be extremely painful, so I'll place a silencing charm on each of you. The spell with only take a few seconds, but I'm told that removing the Marks actually feels much longer. A torture I guess, or a warning. Either way, it will not be pretty," she said unapologetically.

Hermione glanced at Draco, suddenly very nervous. She had never thought this far ahead in their plans to dwell on the removal part. Draco continued to look calm and in control.

Hermione volunteered to go first. They sat on the floor, and she once more grabbed Draco's hand. Unsure she could handle it if she saw Draco do it first. Tonks didn't waste any time. She told Hermione to take a deep breath and in a low trance-like voice said the spell, "_Relashio waddiwasi_."

Black and red lights streamed across Hermione's vision. It was as if liquid fire was being syphoned from her shoulder. The muscle felt as if it was being both pulled and melted off her shoulder blade at the same time. She couldn't hold back the scream that ripped from her lips. She was lying on her stomach on the cold floor. Her nails digging into whatever surface she could find. She wanted to claw her shoulder off.

She could feel something restraining her. She writhed and screamed, trying to get loose. Anything to take the burning away, she was sure it was spreading to consume her. Every inch of her body screamed to be free. She grew too weak to fight it. The fire would take over, and there was nothing she could do to stop it. She gave in. The red and black lights all went out, and then there was nothing.

Soft hands were stroking her forehead. Was she dead? Why did she still hurt so much if she was dead? She heard a familiar voice and attempted to open her eyes. She blinked to see a smiling Tonks leaning over her, hair now pale blue.

"You had me worried for a second there, Hermione. I've never actually performed that in real life, didn't realise it would be quite that horrific," she winced in apology.

Hermione struggled to sit up on her elbows, slowly coming around. Where was Draco? She looked around in a panic.

"Calm down, he's fine. He's sitting up over there. Just getting his bearings. The tracking is gone now, it looks like the Mark is still there, but I think it's changed. Hopefully, it clears itself up in a few days. I'm going to hide these records at the back and hope that no one ever goes looking for them. I'll be throwing you under the bus if they do," Tonks joked. "But seriously Hermione, you owe me big time."

Hermione felt relief wash over her. They had done it. Well, Tonks had done it. She waited for the room to stop spinning before crawling over to Draco, he looked as relieved as she felt. He had her bag sitting next to him and two vials in his hand. He handed her one without speaking.

She took the vial knowing it was the Quik Revival potion they had packed, hoping it would get them back on their feet in time to meet Harry. She checked her watch. They only had five minutes left, that was assuming Harry gave them the extra thirty minutes Hermione was counting on. He was known for being late, she hoped he lived up to this.

"Tonks," Hermione said weakly. "We need to get back down to the library to meet Harry, and I need to swap his wand back," Hermione said, holding out his wand and trying not to look guilty. Tonks took the wand.

"And you think you know someone," Tonks replied. "You don't do things by halves Hermione, that's for sure."

"You've got that right," Draco said. "Come on, we better get going. Can you stand up?" He leaned against the wall to help himself up before offering a hand to Hermione. She could see Tonks out of the corner of her eye watching them. Draco put his arm around her until she was steady enough to stand.

Tonks led then through the maze of corridors back to the library. They found Harry standing by their pile of books looking confused at seeing them reentering the library with Tonks.

"Where were you guys?" he asked.

Completely forgetting their cover stories they had spent a whole evening working on, Hermione found herself unable to speak.

"You don't want to know where I found these two or what they were doing," Tonks replied to Harry.

Harry made a choking noise and cringed. "Please don't tell me," he said, his face bright red.

Hermione was unable to look him in the eye, though glad for Tonks's quick thinking. Draco smirked at Harry, clearly enjoying the moment. Hermione punched him in the shoulder and shot him a death look.

"Harry, it isn't what you thi—"

"_Expelliamus_," Tonks yelled unexpectedly, aiming the spell at Harry.

Harry's wand shot though the air into her waiting hand. "Constant vigilance Harry. You never know from who or when an attack might occur." Tonks handed Harry back his real wand. Hermione shot her a subtle look of thanks.

Everything was back in place. Although it was clear Harry was less than happy with Hermione and the supposed events of the afternoon.

"You know Draco, we're doing a big lunch on Sunday at Grimmauld if you want to come. It seems Hermione has been hiding from us so it would be great if you could bring her along." Tonks said.

Hermione raised her eyebrows at Tonks. She knew the invite was to find out more on Malfoy, she also knew that owing Tonks could turn into a nightmare. She glanced at Draco, who was looking uncomfortable.

"I'll think about it—thanks for the invitation," he said.

"No problem," Tonks said over-enthusiastically as Harry was frantically shaking his head and trying to catch her eye. "My Mum would love to see you, and you can meet my Teddy!"

Hermione noticed the subtle change as Draco shifted his weight between his feet. He nodded and said he would think about it. Harry was making no attempt to hide his displeasure at the idea, standing with his arms crossed and his brow lowered in a frown.

"I'll let you know Tonks, thanks for inviting us. But we better be getting back to school," Hermione said, trying to sound as cheerful as she could fake.

She forgot the books as they turned to leave. Harry had gathered them and handed her the giant pile in a bag he conjured. He gave her a disapproving look as she accepted the package. Knowing this wasn't the last she would hear about it she bid Harry a quick thanks and farewell, leaving the confrontation for another day. Possibly this Sunday. They followed Tonks out, hoping the Quik Revival would last them until they got home.


	20. Chapter 20- Back at Hogwarts

**Chapter Twenty**

**Back at Hogwarts**

Hermione stumbled up the stairs, trying to reach her bedroom. She could hear Draco just behind her, as the last of the Quik Revival wore off. Her shoulder was burning again. Her whole body hurt and all she could think about was her soft bed and sleeping forever. It was still early Friday evening, everyone would come back from dinner soon.

She unlocked and deactivated her room wards, drifting in like a zombie, not caring that Draco followed her in. She flopped onto the bed face first, feeling as if she was sinking into a cloud. She didn't have the energy to acknowledge the loud thud next to her as the bed suddenly jumped up, then dropped. Sleep took her instantly, faster even,than the Dreamless Sleep.

* * *

Her room was filled with an unusual amount of light, her back unusually warm, and there was an incessant soft tapping on her cheek. Not wanting to open her eyes, she swatted her cheek, assuming she was dreaming. Her hand met something fluffy and solid. She blinked a few times to find a pair of bright yellow eyes staring into her soul. A loud, aggressive meow followed more cheek tapping from the unhappy cat.

"Shut up," Draco mumbled, his arm wrapped tightly around her. "More sleep."

Crookshanks wouldn't give up that easily. He proceeded to walk over top of both Draco and Hermione before settling across Hermione's side and on top of Draco's arm. A short sharp meow was followed by a yelp of pain from Hermione as Crookshanks started kneading her raw and freshly Unmarked shoulder. The stab of tiny needles set off a throbbing pain through the tendrils of welts remaining on her shoulder. Crookshanks went flying, and Draco sat bolt upright in confusion.

"Sorry. Crooks got me right in the sore spot. I bet he knew," she said, giving the cat an evil look. She forced herself to get up, knowing that she had to go check on the potions. She also made a mental note to talk to Draco about lunch the next day, she was ninety percent sure he didn't want to go, so would give him a way out. She knew Tonks would expect her to turn up, she was obliged to do anything Tonks asked in her current position.

Draco yawned and pulled himself up. He gently stroked the skin around the red spot on her shoulder. "I should put something on that," he said still half asleep. "It looks bad."

Hermione got up to check it in the mirror and winced when she saw it. It looked a lot worse than it felt, that must be a good sign. The black tendrils that had previously covered her shoulder had turned an angry red with white at the tips. Unsure if this was a good sign, she hoped it would disappear quickly. Draco had rolled back over, a pillow was on his head. Crookshanks circled her legs like a hungry shark. She thought it would be best to feed him so she could go check the potions then go back to sleep.

Just as she placed his food in the cat bowl, a light knocking sounded at her door. She assumed it was Ginny, who would possibly go away if firmly told. She opened the door a crack and peered through. She was met with a cheeky grin and the far-too-awake attitude of Theo.

"Hey Hermione," he said in a sing-song voice while trying to peer through the crack in the door. "Can I come in? Pretty please?"

"I'm not exactly awake, Theo. How about you come back later," Hermione said politely as she tried to shut the door. Theo had his foot conveniently wedged in the bottom to prevent this. "I think now's a good time." He pushed a little harder and let himself in.

"Fine," she said, throwing her hands in the air.

Theo bounced in and took one look at the lump in the bed, before launching himself into a dive on top of Draco. "Aha! I knew I'd find you here." He enveloped the mountain of blankets that was Draco, in a big hug.

"Fuck off Theo, I'm sleeping," Draco said, obviously he'd experienced this wake-up technique before.

"Your sleeping in Hermione's bed. Did you know that Draco? You can't hide these things from me, I'm far too clever, and you two aren't as smart as you think you are." Theo rolled off Draco, turning his focus to Hermione, making himself comfortable on the bed. "So—what have you two been up to without me? That thing on your shoulder there doesn't look so good Hermione." Theo said bluntly. He didn't miss much.

She could hear Draco growl from under the covers, "None of your business is what it is," a muffled voice came from in the bed. Ignoring Draco she took advantage of Theo's presence, she handed him a dittany spray and asked him to spray the welt on her shoulder, then cover it with a large square bandage with a special sticking charm on it (the charm allowed for easy, pain-free removal). Theo happily accepted the task.

Draco sat up in bed, "Hey, I was meant to do that."

"Well you went back to sleep, and Theo's here so I might as well use him—why are you here, Theo?" Hermione asked.

"You two were suspiciously missing yesterday afternoon, and then didn't come to dinner, and Draco didn't sleep in his bed last night, so I came to the first place I thought I might find you both—and here you are."

Hermione winced as the cold spray sizzled on her shoulder, this was followed by instant relief. She lowered her shoulders, letting herself relax.

"So, are you going to tell me what you've been up to, and how this—" he waved a hand between the pair, "—came about."

Hermione sighed. "We got into a bit of trouble with some Aurors trying to get some less common potion ingredients, and things got a little out of hand. We managed to get the Auror Marker Curses removed yesterday afternoon and then felt like dying, so both fell asleep as soon as we got back." Hermione explained.

"Interesting…" Theo said, gently placed the bandage on her shoulder, "All done."

"Thanks, Theo," she smiled. Draco was sitting on the edge of the bed rubbing his eyes. She sat next to him and crossed her legs while Theo took the desk chair.

"I'm sure that's a very shortened version of events," Theo said, "I hear that it's not so simple to just get a Marker Curse removed without a trial or some sort of long ordeal. You two just happened to pop down to the Ministry, say there was a bit of a mix-up and they were removed?" Theo crossed his arms over his chest.

"Yes, that's exactly what happened," Draco said. "You can leave now Theo, thanks for looking for us. As you can see we're both fine." He pointed toward the door.

Theo would not accept their weak explanation. Hermione gave in and told him the full story from the potion they were working on, to the day in Knockturn, to yesterday at the Aurors department. Draco rolled his eyes at her outburst of honesty but didn't stop her at any point and appeared happy to let Theo in on everything. Though neither of them mentioned their various late-night encounters, she was certain Theo knew a lot more than he let on.

It felt good to tell someone else. She was happy Tonks knew the full story as well. Hermione hated lying to people, and it's not like they were doing anything wrong. Their potion was designed to help people, it was just getting there that involved a few illegal aspects and bending of the truth. That's what she told herself anyway.

"Well, I must say, that isn't quite what I expected to find, other than the two of you in bed together—that's exactly what I was expecting—the rest of your tale is just a bonus. Now that I've solved the mystery, I'll leave you two lovebirds alone." He saluted them both and slipped out the door before Hermione could defend them.

Once Theo left, Hermione talked to Draco about the lunch the next day. As she did so, she made them tea, tea always helped. She explained what the usual once a month lunch involved (drinking) and who would likely be there (everybody). She had never put any thought into it, but as she listed the usual guests, she realised many of them were Draco's family. She paused in the middle of the list.

"Draco, I just realised I know more of your family than you do." He was now back to lying on the bed, Hermione twisted around to sit facing him. "I was going to give you an easy out for lunch, but I think they would appreciate you coming along and have the opportunity to get to know you better." She looked at him hopefully. "Well Andromeda, Tonks and Teddy would love to get to know you I'm sure. Sirius is hard work. Actually, you two are quite similar, I'm sure you would get on eventually," she said.

Draco sighed and rubbed his face. "They're probably the only decent family I have left. You're right, I should get to know them." He rolled onto his side and propped his head up with his hand. "I'm just not so good at the casual social thing," he admitted.

"It will be fine. We can have a few drinks, a bit of food, then leave when you've had enough. It's nothing serious and usually rather fun." Hermione said.

"The drinking will make it more tolerable," he said.

"That's the spirit. Plus I'll be there with you, you can just talk to me if it's that bad." She felt a rush of happiness at the thought of him actually coming, surprised he was even considering it.

"How is it you have so much control over me? It's unsettling." Draco said, studying her face.

"That was much easier to convince you than I thought. Maybe you're just weak-minded," she shrugged. "I better go check the potions now."

She jumped off the bed before Draco could grab her arm. She laughed and got her potion notes. Draco went back to sleep. Lunch would certainly be interesting.

* * *

AN: This was a bit of a short chapter. I'll try have a longer one out Monday or Tuesday. Just an update on the story, it looks like it will around 30 chapter long, so ten chapters left to go! Thank you everyone who's reading along, have a great weekend 😊


	21. Chapter 21- A Lunch to Remember

**Chapter Twenty One**

**A Lunch to Remember**

The kitchen door of Grimmauld place though benign in appearance, suddenly seemed daunting to Draco. Hermione stood next to him and reassured him it would be fun. He didn't believe her. His hands were sweating, and his mouth was dry. The volume of noise coming from the kitchen indicated some sort of festival or small circus. Why had he agreed to this? He stood rooted on the spot, thinking now would be an opportune time to turn back. He could get reacquainted with his family another time. He went to take a step back and found Hermione latched onto his arm.

"Come on, we're here now, might as well get this over with," she said.

"Why did I come here," he mumbled to himself. He rolled his shoulders, stood up straight and let Hermione drag him into the kitchen.

A wave of hot air filled with the smell of roast meats and garlic enveloped him. The door swung shut behind them and the roar of the circus died to a more sinister silence. All heads turned to face them, Hermione quickly dropped his arm. The only sounds were the boiling water on the stove and the metal clanging of a self-stirring pot. Draco squared his shouldered, glancing over a sea of blinking eyes and confused faces.

A squeal from Tonks broke the silence. "I can't believe you actually came!" She gave Draco a big hug, she didn't seem to notice how stiff he was or how everyone was watching them. She moved on to hug Hermione then dragged Draco to seat him at the table next to her mother and Teddy. He was thankful Hermione followed and put her bag next to him to save a seat.

Tonks chimed loudly on a glass. "Hey, everyone!" she bellowed. "You all know my cousin Draco, I invited him here so please don't kill him, he is our guest." There were a few waves of greeting and some less than enthusiastic nods towards Draco.

"You don't even live here," Harry mumbled toward Tonks who just poked out her tongue at him.

Ron was clenching his fists on top of the table, giving both Draco and Hermione death glares. Hermione didn't notice, but Draco made a point of giving Ron a smug smile. It was a better reception than he had been imagining, most of his scenarios involved instant hexing and being thrown out.

A firewhiskey, courtesy of Sirius, appeared in front of him, along with an unspoken warning in his eyes. Draco sat there, sipping his whiskey and assessing the strange collection of people, as Hermione made her way around the long table hugging everyone. He had never met anyone who hugged as much as she did. It was clear from the reactions she was well-loved by everyone in the room.

Lunch was spread out in front of them courtesy of Mrs Weasley and a surly looking house-elf. There were piles of roast potatoes, steamed vegetables, a roast chicken, smoked ham, several baskets of fresh bread and salads full of leafy greens and brightly coloured flowers that Draco didn't recognise. The food it seemed, was also matched in quantity by alcohol. There were numerous bottles of French Elf-made wine, Firewhiskey, Butterbeer and several unlabelled dark bottles that kept appearing next to the alive Weasley twin. Draco sipped on his firewhiskey, grateful he had something to hold and focus on.

He looked over at Hermione who came back to her spot at the table, she smiled at him as she filled her plate with roast veggies, she had a crystal glass of elf-wine in front of her. This was their average Sunday lunch? It looked like a feast worthy of Hobbits, or something reserved for Christmas dinner. He saw everyone digging in. Plates piled high with food were levitated across the table for those who couldn't reach. It was unlike anything Draco was used to. Chaotic, loud and warm.

"So Hermione, are you and Draco dating? He's the last person I expected you to turn up with," his Aunt Andromeda said. "Don't get me wrong, it's lovely to have you here Draco," she said patting his hand giving him a genuine smile.

"No," she said glancing at Draco, "Draco and I aren't dating, we're just working on a potion project together, and Tonks invited him along, so it was easiest for me to bring him." Hermione answered swiftly. What else would she say? It's not as if she would ever be able to admit to anything different he realised. They could never be in public together, unless she wanted her life wreaked by a Death Eater.

"I invited him, Mum. I bumped into him and Hermione the other day." Tonks added in.

"Well, it's lovely to have you here, dear," his Aunt said. "Good for you to be away from your parents and those nasty circles I imagine."

Draco was taken back at the forwardness of his Aunt, but managed a prompt response, "Yes, I'm staying well away from that lot. I haven't been back to the Manor since the war." He reached for whatever was in the bowl in front of him, spooning it onto his plate, so he had something to do.

"That's good to hear. If you ever need anywhere to stay, our door is always open to you. Just sing out," Andromeda said as she tried to squeeze some mashed potatoes into young Teddy's mouth. Draco tensed. Surprised by the kind offer, given in such a casual manner. Though he didn't doubt she was serious about it. He cleared his throat. "Thank you, Aunt Andromeda, that is very kind."

"Nonsense Draco, you are always welcome. And no need to be so formal. Call me Aunt Meda, everyone else does." He felt Hermione nudge his side. Her eyes sparkled when she looked at him. He felt a hint of a smile in the corner of his mouth. Feeling somewhat uplifted he followed suit of the rest of the table and started piling things on his plate, other than the peas in front of him.

As things warmed up, he even took part in floating a few dishes down to the other end of the table where Harry, Ron, Mr Weasley, Mrs Weasley, an older Weasley with scars, and for some reason, the French girl from the Triwizard Tournament sat. Though Harry and Ron both refused to accept anything from him. Closer to his end of the table sat Mr Lupin, Tonks, Aunt Meda, Teddy, Sirius, the Weasley twin, Angelina from the Gryffindor quidditch team and a man that looked like Luna Lovegood. If his parents could see what he was doing now. He laughed internally, imagining the look on their faces.

Andromeda turned her interrogations back to Hermione. "Well, who are you dating dear, is it Sirius here? I saw the Prophet. It was quite the scandal for a many of my ladies afternoon teas." Draco saw the blush creeping across her cheeks, she looked cute when she was uncomfortable. Andromeda didn't give Hermione a chance to answer. "Or is it the Krum fellow, are you still in correspondence with him?"

Hermione glanced across the table to Sirius, who was laughing into a chicken drumstick. Draco saw the look she gave him, silently asking to be saved. Sirius placed his drumstick down and wiped his hands. "Meda, leave Hermione alone. She isn't dating me, you know that paper spouts a load of Hippogriff shit. I don't know who she's dating, but I'm sure if she wanted us nosey lot to know, she would tell us." He winked at Hermione to which she chuckled and smiled in silent thanks.

"He's right, I'm not dating anyone Aunt Meda, but I'll be sure to tell you when I am," Hermione said. Draco noticed she had been avoiding eye contact with both Harry and Tonks since she arrived. He glanced over at Tonks to see a mischievous look in her eye glancing between himself and Hermione, it was rather unsettling. Harry, on the other hand, was getting violent with a fork and some carrots. Draco decided to stay clear of those two for the extent of their visit.

Draco made it all the way through lunch and dessert without any confrontations or accusations towards him. He was almost starting to feel relaxed. Though that probably had something to do with the four, generous portioned fire whiskeys Sirius kept him supplied with. Maybe Sirius wasn't so bad, though they hadn't spoken a word to each other.

Once the food was all packed up, they filled the table with drinks. People starting moving seats and mingling, some leaning against the kitchen benches or in the free alcove by the pantry. Draco remained in his place by Andromeda, relieved she had stayed near him. Hermione was in a corner chatting to the werewolf Lupin. It appeared she was avoiding not only Tonks and Harry, but Ron as well.

After finishing his current drink, Draco excused himself to his Aunt intending to find the loo. He remembered from his last visit that there was one near the library, so set off in that direction. Feeling much better, though off-balance, he decided he would attempt to engage in conversation with someone and try to fit in better when he returned to the kitchen.

He didn't want to suck up to these people, but for Hermione's sake, he didn't want them to continue hating him. His family were far more interesting than he expected and much nicer than his parents ever made out. As the Black Family outcasts, Andromeda and Sirius were never spoken of—except as examples of Pureblood Wizard failures.

He was about to re-enter the kitchen when a hand unexpectedly grasped his own and spun him around, followed by the crack of Disapparition. He stumbled backwards and fell onto something soft, trying to get his bearings he scrambled to pull out his wand. He flicked his head to the side ready to throw a hex, instead, was relieved to see Hermione. His heart was pounding in his chest, body tense, he felt like a spring ready to explode.

"What the hell, Hermione, I nearly cursed you. You shouldn't kidnap people like that." He unfurled his clenched fingers and let out a deep breath, realising he was somewhere safe with her.

He looked around, the room somehow felt familiar. A double bed with a blue patchwork quilt was in the center, a small desk in the corner by the window and a bookshelf that reached to the ceiling was crammed full with books.

Hermione flopped down on the bed and dragged Draco to sit next to her. Her awareness seemed off. He thought she'd only had two elf-wines but must have missed a few, he realised he was feeling quite pissed himself, where were they? She didn't seem to notice Draco's shock or confusion. She smiled up at him, then rolled further onto the bed giggling. "I'm so glad you came with me Draco, it's nice having you here."

"Where exactly is here?" he asked.

"Oh, right. This is my bedroom. I thought that was obvious?" She was swaying and running her fingers through her hair unusually.

"Why are we in your bedroom?"

"I saw you leave the kitchen, and you looked like maybe you needed some time out. It can be a bit hectic with everyone, I forget sometimes, it took me a while to get used to it. Plus I think I may have drunk a bit too much and needed a lie-down. I miss this room. It's so nice and cosy." Her voice sounded dreamy and slightly slurred.

"You shouldn't have apparated us drunk," he said, trying to work out how drunk she actually was. He quickly got his answer.

With a sloppy wave of her wand, Hermione flicked both their shoes off and attempted to pull Draco onto the bed.

"No need to be so serious all the time. Let's have some fun," she said, eyeing him in a very un-Hermione like way. "Our staying away from each other is not working Draco. This won't affect us working on the potion together. Maybe we could look at it as team building?"

"I'm not sure sober Hermione would say the same thing. As much as I want—"

She pushed him back onto the bed, straddling him in one swift movement. Her lips pressed onto his, he found himself instinctively kissing her back. The weight of her body pressed against him made his mind go blank. His body took over, his fingers buried in her hair one second, at her hips the next. He felt the soft skin of her waist as he untucked her blouse from her skirt and felt her hands unbutton the top of his trousers. His head was hazy and her lips tasted like sweet wine. He flipped her onto her back, she squealed in surprise and flashed a sly smile before pulling him back into a forceful kiss.

A chill flooded his body. They were still in Grimmauld Place. Any one of those people downstairs would kill him if they found him right now. Hermione wasn't thinking straight. He had to stop this. His hands slipped lower. His conscious mind battled with the fact that he had dreamed of this for months. He didn't want to stop. He kissed her until the paranoia got the better of him. Pulling his lips from hers he rolled over to sit up, leaning back on his hands, catching his breath.

"I don't want to wreak your life, Hermione. If any of your friends comes in here and you know they will—it's over for us—they'll assume I've got you under an _imperio_ or something and it will not end well," he said. "Tonks is looking for an excuse to get me now."

She sat up and stared at him, "When did you get so moral? Let's just sneak back to school and continue this?"

"As smart as you usually are, walking through our common room together, drunk, mid-afternoon on a Sunday may draw a little more attention than we want." He looked at her eyes, noting an unusual flashing spark around the edge of her pupils.

She pouted, folded her arms across her chest, leaning back on the bed. He leaned over her and cupped her chin with one hand, he looked into her eyes. Tiny pinpricks of light were going off like fireworks.

"Your eyes—." He held her face steady, trying to get a better look as she tried to kiss him. He pushed her out of reach against the bed head. She looked disappointed. He transfigured a coaster on the bedside table into a mirror and held it up to her. She appeared mesmerised, then suddenly snapped out of it.

"George!" she said. "He gave me a mystery drink. How could I be so stupid? Ginny's second law—never accept drinks from Fred or George. I've never broken that rule until now. What was I thinking!"

Draco felt both relieved and slightly offended that it wasn't free-will Hermione throwing herself at him. It'd seemed too good to be true. He grasped her hand and pulled her up to sit on the edge of the bed. He transfigured a candle into a glass and filled it with water. He could feel her shaking, sure it was from rage at that point. She drank the water, saying nothing, then calmly stood up.

"I'm going to kill him." She stormed out of the room.

Draco ran to cut her off right outside. "Let's not make a scene. Maybe I should go talk to him, and you stay here?"

"Oh no! I'm going to talk to him," she said while stroking Draco's arm, "You have really nice arms," she said absentmindedly as she started squeezing his bicep.

He pried her hand off his arm. "You can't go back in there like this. Let's go down, although I don't actually know where we are. You wait in the hallway, and I'll get George. Okay?"

She leaned in to kiss him again, this time he kept her at arms length. "How about you lead the way, and I'll follow at a safe distance," he suggested. They made it down several flights of stairs to the kitchen level. Hermione appeared to be fluctuating between rage and lust. Draco placed her on a high backed velvet chair in the hallway and told her to stay, while he went to find George.

He entered the kitchen to once again find everyone staring at him, as if shocked he was still there. He scanned the room, ignoring the stabbing looks. His eyes fixed on George, who was already glaring at him. Draco made a beeline for him, weaving his way through pushed out chairs and standing people.

George looked at him with confusion. "George, I believe Hermione requires your assistance," he said through grinding teeth.

George almost coughed up his drink, snorting half of it out his nose, "Bloody hell! You've got to be kidding me."

Draco leaned in close, "What did you give her?" he said in a low voice. He then stepped back, aware of everyone watching them.

"This is certainly unexpected, lead the way Mr Malfoy and all will be revealed." George gestured to lead the way out. Draco wove back through the crowd, politely nodding at those he passed. He could hear George humming right behind him.

They walked out into the hallway to find Hermione arguing with Mrs Black's portrait. As soon as George saw her, a wide grin spread across his face. "Well, well, well little missy, aren't you full of surprises?" He chuckled.

"What did you give me!" She turned her attention to George, her hair was actually smoking from anger.

George walked up behind her, grasped her shoulders and steered her into the empty library. Draco followed and locked the door behind them. She looked about ready to hex George. Draco sat her down and unwound her tight grasp on her wand and took it from her, for Georges safety. George raised his eyebrows as she did nothing to stop Draco. Her eyes stayed locked on George.

"What did you do to her?" Draco demanded as he rolled up the sleeves on his shirt, exposing the tattoo on his arm as he sat next to Hermione on the sofa.

George paced in front of them, a finger tapping his lip. "Well, for one, I didn't think Hermione would be stupid enough to accept a drink from me—after all, she always follows Ginny's second law." He continued pacing. "Secondly, this is not at all what I intended. You see—I'm trialling a new product I call 'Magnetic punch'. I won't tell you how it works, but the idea was to get Hermione and Sirius's unresolved feelings out in the open to stop this drama and gossipping once and for all. Maybe get a photo to sell to the Quibbler. But you, my friend—," he said with a roll of his hand toward Draco, "were a very unforeseen complication in this elaborate plan." George scratched his chin and looked up at the ceiling as if deep in thought.

Draco glared at him, "Well I wouldn't go as far as calling it an elaborate plan. From what I can tell you slipped her some tacky love potion."

"You underestimate me, my dear Sir," George said, "It is much more than a love potion, far more complex, far more captivating," he said in a dramatic voice. "And now, I seem to know a secret that maybe you two don't want to share?" he said, raised his eyebrows at them both.

"You believe whatever you want, mate. Now give Hermione the antidote to your shoddy potion and pray to whatever trickster god you worship that Hermione doesn't try to get back at you for this," Draco said in a more serious tone. Hermione sat there silently fuming, sitting on her hands.

George winked at Hermione and handed her a blue and red lolly. "Suck it, don't bite it." He warned, "You should be good as new in a few short minutes. I suggest you two come back in separately." There was no remorse in his voice, and the grin never left his face as he swanned out of the room.

Hermione suddenly covered her face with both hands and rested her head on her knees. Draco panicked. Had that Weasley poisoned her? He instinctively put his arm around her. "Are you all right? Should I get someone? Should we go to the hospital?"

She half coughed, half hiccuped. "No," she shook her head into her hands. "I'm so embarrassed. I didn't mean to jump you like that. What if I'd splinched us! We could be dead!"

He relaxed back in the chair, keeping his hand on her back. "No need to get so dramatic. Your apparition was perfect as always, even if you were drunk, or drugged or whatever." He said studying her face as she turned to look at him, seeing the sincerity and lack of sparkles in her eyes he knew she was back to normal.

She sat up straight then hugged him. "You are so much better than people give you credit for Draco Malfoy," she said, not letting him go.

"Don't give me too much credit. You don't want to know the thoughts racing through my mind in your bedroom," Draco said as she released him from her tight grasp.

"I'm sure I have an idea," she said as she chewed her bottom lip. "I'd say mine were quite similar."

He saw the fire in her eyes, this time real, definitely real. "I think we're too far gone to keep pretending this isn't going to happen. We can't stay away from each other. How about new rules?" he said, reaching out for her hand. "We don't get seen together in public or in class. Other than that, let's stop pretending. Or, if you want to stop this now and focus on the potion just tell me straight," he stated simply, trying to appear calm. Inside his heart was racing. Now was her chance to reject him, a way out. He had to give her the option.

"Well, we sort of tried, and it didn't seem to work. Let just see what happens," Hermione leaned in and gently brushed his lips with her own. As she pulled away, he felt a spark jump between them. She leaned back and rested her head on his shoulder. He placed his cheek on the top of her head for a moment before pulling away.

"We should go back in," he said, not really wanting to, but knowing someone would notice their mutual absence.

Hermione volunteered Draco to go in first. She headed to the bathroom to get a sober up potion and freshen up before returning to the hoard. Draco went back to his previous seat and suddenly found Tonks right next to him.

"A friendly warning dear cousin," she said in a low voice. "You do anything to hurt Hermione, and you'll be in Azkaban with your parents so fast." She patted his face. "I know how to get people in there without trials you know," she whispered.

"I won't hurt her," he said, "I—" he stopped himself.

"You what? You know deep down you _will_ hurt her. She's the golden girl— loved by the media. You are, or were, a Death Eater— loved by the media—for opposite reasons. Don't drag her down with you Draco, I won't let that happen, her future is too bright." With that, she smiled and slid away, leaving him to think about it.

She was right, how could he ever have a future with Hermione? He would hurt her, there was no upside to being associated with him. Reality was a cruel bitch. They could make the potion, have fun, and finish school. He decided in that moment, he would not let his association with him ruin her life. Even if it meant losing her.

* * *

AN: Happy Monday to those of you who live in the future times. I had fun writing that chapter, hope you liked the Draco POV. I'll aim for Thursday or Friday for the next chapter.

Have a good week, happy reading 😊


	22. Chapter 22- Potion Trials

**Chapter Twenty Two**

**Potion Trials**

Hermione sat bouncing her knee while staring at the vial in front of her, her eyes followed the swirls of milky moonlight drawn into tiny eddies. The first of February had arrived. It was Monday afternoon, and the potion was ready. Slughorn had excused Hermione and Draco from class when they requested the time to work on their project under the guise that it was at a time-sensitive stage for adding ingredients. He had instantly agreed. Not once had he asked for the progress, or any explanations. They had submitted the falsified update reports on their 'advanced pain reliever' as required. But Slughorn never checked up on what they were doing.

They had spent two intensive weeks testing the potion using special lab mice transfigured from rocks. The last few weeks had been stressful on both of them, and Hermione had suffered two rather bad Cruciatus relapses in recent days. They were both determined to get the potion complete.

Draco would not back down on being the first test subject. They set themselves up in an unused room, close to the hospital wing. The dungeon was too far away if things went wrong.

Hermione dragged herself away from the mesmerising vial and pulled a camping bed out of her small bag. She transfigured the thin foam mattress and flimsy frame into a more sturdy inner sprung bed. After this she pulled out a thermometer, sphygmomanometer, a stethoscope, a torch, and a tiny first aid kit, that when unfolded appeared to have a small pharmacy in it.

"You're making me nervous, did you have to bring all that stuff?" Draco said as he watched her pull several more instruments out of her bag. He moved to sit on the new bed, testing its stability before sitting down.

"It doesn't hurt to be prepared," she said, getting out a clipboard and pen, ready to take notes.

"We're prepared as we'll ever be Princess. Let's do this." Draco had that determined look in his eye but remained calm. The opposite of how Hermione felt inside. She wished neither of them had to try the potion themselves, but it was the only way. This type of cure would take years to get to human trials if created legally in a Ministry Potions lab, this was fastest way to get it finished and out to the public. Better to ask for forgiveness than permission, that's what she kept telling herself anyway.

"Okay Draco, remember you need to tell me every tiny detail once you take the potion. Anything that feels different from now," she told him for the thousandth time. She had spent the past weeks taking control readings from Draco and herself so she could note any unusual changes.

He rolled his eyes. "Yes, mother. It's not like I'm taking a full dose anyway. It'll be fine."

She looked at him, trying to hide the fear. He pulled her between his legs and kissed her.

"Stop worrying," he said, lightly stroking her cheek. His calmness spread to her for a short moment. Her hands rested on his knees, she kissed him once more, before reaching for the vial, holding it up to the light in between them.

"It really is beautiful, isn't it," she said. The moonstones mixed with the newly combined ingredients had created a luminous potion like no other she had seen before. At least if it didn't work, they might sell it as a pretty decoration.

"Yes, a truly magnificent creation of man," he said sarcastically. "You can measure it out now."

She sighed and took a small measuring spoon pouring a tiny drop of the potion into the centre. Without giving her time to think, Draco plucked the spoon from her fingers and placed the drop of glowing liquid on his tongue. Hermione frowned but said nothing. She picked up the clipboard and sat on the chair next to the bed and crossed her legs, waiting for something to happen.

The first hour nothing happened. Draco complained several times that he was bored and they should have brought the TV with them. Hermione gave him a second drop an hour later, then a larger dose an hour later. While the rest of the castle enjoyed dinner, she gave him the biggest amount they had planned, taking him up to fifty percent of their calculated full dose.

At set intervals, she measured the faint spasms in his calf muscles with a magical diagnostic device she got at the apothecary on Knockturn Alley. This would tell them if the potion was working as planned. The faint spasms were always there after a Cruciatus curse, a nuisance in life, now a handy indicator. Draco reported he felt the same as before after the larger dose. Hermione hadn't noted any differences in his readings either.

"Let's call it a day and repeat it tomorrow with the full dose," Hermione said, leaning back in the chair. Relieved nothing terrible had happened so far, though disappointed they had no clear result.

"Screw that. I'm sick of waiting," Draco said as he hopped off the bed and downed the rest of the potion in the vial.

"You idiot! That's not how this process works! We needed to see how your body processes a half dose overnight before going to the full one." She stood with hands on hips channelling Mrs Weasley. "You better hope that kills you or I will," she said before sitting back down in a huff, glaring at him.

"Well you might not need to worry about that," Draco said half laughing, the colour drained from his face as he rolled onto the bed, clutching his stomach. "I don't feel so good."

Her mouth went dry and she bit her lip. She took his temperature and measured his blood pressure, watching him closely as he squeezed his eyes shut, sweat beading across his forehead and upper lip. He was swallowing a lot and making a strange face. She scrambled for a bucket and placed it next to the bed. As soon as she did so, Draco reached over the edge and threw up. Little of it made it to the bucket.

He lay back on the bed and groaned. "You cursed me, witch," he said, between what Hermione thought to be exaggerated moaning. It reminded her of the time he was 'attacked' by Buckbeak.

She instantly felt better. If Draco could insult her, he wasn't too sick. She put a cold, wet flannel across his forehead and wrapped her hand around his. His palms were sweaty, and he was shivering but burning to the touch. After a while, he stopped wriggling around and relaxed. With a wave of her wand and _Tergio_, the vomit from the floor and her shoe disappeared. Draco was asleep. She released her hand from his grasp and tested all his vital signs. He seemed much better now.

She relaxed and watched him sleep before she got up to measure the indicator nerve impulses in his legs. She took in a sharp breath, noticing the readings suddenly drop. She reread it, there was a big reduction from previous measurements and well within the numbers they marked as successful. She measured it two more times to be sure.

Warmth radiated through her. She felt as if she had too much coffee her heart was beating so quickly. She couldn't wait to tell Draco, the potion had actually worked! She clapped her hands to herself a few times and couldn't get the smile off her face.

The test was showing near zero for spasms that were strong before. She sat the whole night watching Draco and writing up her findings. She found it hard to sit still. Draco didn't move once the entire night.

Somewhere between three and four am, Hermione concluded that too much of the dragons blood-valerian root powder that had caused the sickness. They could afford to reduce the amount without changing the desired effect of the potion. The main reason was to induce a healing sleep, and that was exceeding expectations. Draco wasn't showing any signs of waking.

Hermione dozed in the chair, body twisted with her head resting on her arm on the side of the bed. An incessant chirping was coming from the table next to her. Eyes half-open she reached over to grab her wand and flicked it twice. The chirping stopped. She took a moment to remember where she was, then looked over at sleeping Draco to see he hadn't moved an inch.

She was relatively sure they had the moon-flower concentration right in the potion, but seeing Draco remaining in what she referred to as a 'sleeping beauty sleep', she was beginning to wonder. They predicted a ten-hour sleep to result from the potion. He was now up to thirteen hours. She told herself not to panic yet. She took all his readings again and noted that the telltale leg spasms had not yet returned. Good news.

Making the executive decision, Hermione decided to do the rounds of teachers to excuse them both from their morning classes. After racing around the castle, she neared the corner leading her back to the room near the hospital wing. Before she knew what was happening she slammed into a solid form that knocked her down in an ungraceful heap. A hand reached out and pulled her to her feet, leaving her slightly dazed.

"You should really look where you're going," Theo said. "Are you all right?" He stood in the middle of the hallway, bag slung casually across one shoulder. She dusted off her bottom and tried to regain her composure. "Sorry, Theo, I'm in a bit of a hurry." She tried to walk past him and found her path blocked as he stepped to the side.

"Yet again, I found my two dear friends missing last night—"

Hermione went to speak but found Theo's finger pressed against her lips.

"—but they were not in either of their rooms. I wandered the whole castle looking for them, asking if anyone knew where they were. But you know what? I couldn't find them anywhere. I nearly resorted to telling a teacher. But then I thought to myself—Theo—these are two smart young people, I'm sure they have a reasonable explanation and are nice and safe somewhere." He folded his arms and raised his eyebrows at Hermione.

"I'm sorry, Theo, we should have told you. I didn't think you would notice or worry like that. Come with me." Without asking, she grabbed his hand and rushed the short way down the corridor to the room where she left Draco. Looking left and right down the hallway, she opened the door quickly and pulled Theo inside.

Without explanation, she walked over to Draco to make sure he was okay, then sat back in her chair and made another one appear for Theo.

"Is he okay?" Theo asked.

"He's fine, we did the first trial of our potion last night, and he's sleeping longer than we predicted, but seems to be okay other than that. I hope he wakes up soon," she said, looking over at Draco as she bit a fingernail.

"You could have told me," Theo said.

Hermione flashed him an apologetic look. "Sorry, we haven't been thinking of much else. We've been working on this for so long we just wanted to see if it worked."

Theo smiled, she took that to mean he accepted her apology. "You two are shite friends. You know that, right?"

Hermione and Theo sat at their bedside vigil all morning. Theo brought them a plate of sandwiches from lunch, which they quietly nibbled.

Eventually, around 2pm Draco finally stirred. He rubbed his eyes and found Hermione and Theo leaning over him, both grinning. Hermione was extremely awake, rejuvenated by adrenalin.

"The potion worked Draco!" she said, shaking his hand vigorously, as he blinked.

Draco struggled to sit up. Hermione pushed a cushion behind his back, and Theo handed him a glass of water.

"It worked?"

"Yes! The nerve spasms in your legs nearly stopped, and so did the ones in your hand. No twitches!" she said.

Draco examined his hands and wiggled his toes. "I don't feel pain or spasms or anything and I don't even have a headache. I can't remember when I last felt like this."

Sadness filled Hermione's chest. What a horrible way to live, and for so many years. She forced a smile, trying not to let him see the tears welling in the corners of her eyes.

"Though the vomiting part was not enjoyable. If it worked and I must have thrown up half the potion, we can adjust the concentrations." Draco said, his mind switched to calculation mode.

Hermione went on to tell him about her calculations of the dragons blood-valerian root, and within ten minutes they had a full page of new calculations. Theo looked at them both stunned. "And here I was thinking you two were always getting up to mischief. But there you are, proving you're the biggest geeks in the school."

Hermione poked her tongue out at Theo and Draco laughed. "Don't worry, mate, we get up to plenty of mischief as well." He winked at Hermione resulting in Theo scrunching up his face and pretending to throw up, Hermione laughed at Theo's reaction.

They focused back on the calculations while Theo played with the medical instruments. There was a lot of work to do but they were so close, another few weeks to remake and tweak the potion and they could try again.

She suspected they would need a break soon or they would burn out. Ginny kept inviting her to the secret quarter moon parties her classmates had been holding for months, maybe she would go to the next one. After all didn't they deserve a celebration as a reward for their months of hard work?


	23. Chapter 23- The Quarter Moon Party

**Chapter Twenty Three**

**The Quarter Moon Party**

As Hermione opened the door to the Room of Requirement, a wave of warm air, laced with alcohol and smoke swirled around her, beckoning her inside. Who was she to argue? Finally feeling as though she deserved a night off. She wove her way through the room, looking for her friends. Smiling, drunk faces greeted her as she passed through the crowd. It was the first time she had made it to a quarter moon party. She was sure it wasn't even a quarter moon that night, but either way it was the new excuse to hold a party every month. Organised by the older students, this was the fourth one, and so far the teachers had turned a blind eye. Hermione knew better than to assume they didn't know.

She spotted Neville, Ginny, Luna and Dean on the other side of the room next to a makeshift bar constructed out of barrels and a plank of wood. Unclear why the Room of Requirement would make such poor quality furniture when it could make anything, she decided not to dwell on it and try to enjoy herself.

"Hermione!" A squeal of delight came from Ginny. Suddenly, she was wrapped in a hug, then nearly toppled over by Ginny draping herself over her left side. "I can't believe you came! See everyone, I told you she would come!" Ginny yelled while sloshing her drink off to the side. Hermione quickly wiggled out of her grasp to avoid the spillage.

She greeted everyone and accepted several mismatched drinks from her friends and placed them in a neat row on the bar. She sipped on a large mug of what she assumed was regular beer.

"Hermione you're always working on that damn potion. You need to have some fun once in a while," Ginny said, handing her a flaming shot of blue liquid.

"I have fun," Hermione said in defence.

"Prove it," Ginny said, standing with her hands on her hips. She leaned over and blew out the fire on Hermione's, then her own shot. "One, two, three," Ginny counted them down. Hermione followed suit and downed the liquor in one gulp. Her eyes watered as fire raced down her throat. She coughed and grabbed the closest cup and drank whatever was in it.

"What the hell was that Ginny?" Hermione said, taking another large gulp of beer to wash away the burning sensation.

"It's a new drink George invented, he's selling it in the shop, so it's safe from that point of view," Ginny said as she started to arrange another line of shots for their group. "It's called Blue Bottle, the blue gives you energy!" she said giggling.

Neville leaned over and whispered, "She's already made us do three rounds, I'm hoping it runs out soon." He smiled at Ginny and gave her a thumbs up, then turned back to Hermione shaking his head.

Hermione felt the warmth spreading through her already and found herself giggling at Neville. No one could stand up to Ginny when she wanted something. Luna was smiling and sipping from a crystal goblet filled with a glowing red liquid, Hermione didn't want to ask what it was.

"We're breaking your second rule, Ginny," Hermione said as someone handed her another flaming shot. "You said we were never allowed to accept drinks for George—remember?" She said, finding that leaning on the bar was no more comfortable than trying to stand up straight.

"This is an exception, it's okay because it's available to the public, not directly handed to us by George. It's the technicalities that count, you know." Ginny said in a matter-of-fact way, though her slurring of words removed any seriousness from her comment.

"Well I won't make that mistake again, that's for sure," Hermione said without thinking as she blew out the flames on her drink.

"What!" Ginny exclaimed. "You broke Ginny's second law! When? Why? What? How did I not know this, Hermione?" Ginny was staring at her in shock. "What did he do?" She grabbed Hermione's arm dramatically.

"Shots time!" Hermione announced to the group. Everyone simultaneously downed their drinks, followed by mass of spluttering and coughing as they each grabbed the nearest drink to wash it down. All except Luna who was sipping her shot with her pinky finger raised, apparently enjoying it.

"I don't think these are getting any better," said Dean, everyone nodded. Hermione tried to slip to the other side of the group, but Ginny caught her arm.

"What did George do? And don't tone it down for me, you know I'm going to have to kill him either way," Ginny said. Hermione could see she was in a fighting mood, grateful that George wasn't there or Ginny would have hit him with some drunken hexes already.

Hermione knew she had to tell Ginny something, or she would never let it go, there was the upside, maybe tomorrow she wouldn't remember.

"It was at that Sunday lunch I went to with everyone. He gave me some of a new 'punch' he's been working on. Needless to say, he embarrassed me, as he intended and leave it at that. I will hereby adhere to Ginny's second law for the rest of my life," Hermione said, hand over heart. She looked around the room, trying to see someone else she knew so she could escape Ginny. Who were these people? She didn't get out much, she realised.

Ginny choked on her drink after hearing Hermione's story.

"No way!" Ginny coughed a few times and slammed her drink down on the bar. "You had Magnetic Punch! You have to tell me what happened! Did you try to seduce Sirius in front of everyone?" Ginny was staring at her wide-eyed. The others were all listening in on their conversation.

Hermione felt her face go red, she wasn't drunk enough for this. She took a sip of her beer and tried to hide behind the large mug. Ginny began talking again, unable to deal with the gap in the conversation. "George claims that his punch attracts the drinker to their true love and allows them to expose their feelings," Ginny giggled. The boys looked a little unsettled. Luna listened intently. "I told him it was a load of bollocks, it was just a variation of a love potion he wants to sell high end."

Hermione's heart stopped beating, she swallowed as she felt the blood drain from her face. It did what?

Hermione nodded her head in agreement and made a non-committal noise, again looking around the room for someone to save her. She wished Harry was there, he was good at picking up on her signals for distractions. She spotted Draco playing pool with Theo and seventh-year Slytherins. Not a good option for a diversion if she was trying to avoid gossip. Ginny was clicking her fingers in front of Hermione's face. Hermione blinked then playfully slapped her hand away.

"Hermione, you didn't tell me what happened. So did you go for Sirius?" Ginny paused then a look of shock swept over her face. "Ew you didn't try anything with Ron, did you? Please tell me it wasn't Ron Hermione! Please for the love of Merlin!" Everyone else was laughing at Ginny's theatrics, more interested in her hilarious reactions than Hermione's story.

"No, it wasn't Ron or Sirius—or George." She added just to be safe. "I made a fool of myself because I apparated when I had the punch and had already been drinking and nearly splinched myself, I blame George for that." She hoped the story would draw their attention away from questioning the person.

Everyone seemed quite interested in the fact that she nearly splinched herself, a very un-Hermione thing to do. Asking her a multitude of questions about it. Ginny looked disappointed and piped up again, "I was so sure it was Sirius, is your thing with him over?" drawing the conversation back around. To her embarrassment, Michael, Theo and Susan had since joined them. She was glad to see Draco continued to play pool with the Slytherins. Dean gave the new additions flaming shots, slightly easing the burden for the rest of them.

"I didn't have a thing with Sirius," Hermione said to Ginny, trying to keep her voice calm.

"That's not what I heard, remember that newspaper article and when he came to see you at school?" Theo added in. Hermione gave him a sarcastic smile and mouthed, 'not helping.'

"Yeah Hermione and remember when Mum walked in on him in your room on Christmas morning?"

Hermione blushed, not something she wanted the whole school hearing about. And one person in particular she didn't want it getting back to. Theo raised his eyebrows and scratched his chin as if in deep thought. "Interesting," he said before settling his eyes on Hermione. "I wonder if others have heard about this incident," Theo pondered aloud.

Hermione spoke up, "No one else needs to hear about this okay." She pointed her finger at every member of the group. "I don't want anyone else to mention this to me, I don't want to see it in the paper and I don't want to hear more rumours around the school about me. Got it!" Everyone was silently nodding, getting the message. "Anyway, it wasn't what it looked like, so get your minds out of the gutter."

"That's not what my Mum said." Ginny giggled once more, ignoring Hermione's tone. The others looked at her warily, knowing she was on thin ice with Hermione if she continued. "She said that you were in your underwear and Sirius wasn't wearing a shirt, and you yelled at Mum and defended Sirius and said he was a good person and you could sleep with whoever you like, and she was just disappointed it wasn't Ron you were with." She blurted out.

Theo looked intrigued, "Is that so Miss innocent Hermione? The papers aren't as inaccurate as you claim them to be? When was that? A few days after the Leaky Cauldron night?"

"Yes, Theo," she said condescendingly. "But it's all taken out of context." Everyone was quietly listening, sipping their drinks, waiting for the next revelation in Hermione's drama. She decided this was a losing battle. She sighed and gave up arguing, choosing to focus on getting drunk instead.

"Anyway Hermione, the point of my story was I thought you were in love with Sirius, but apparently not if Georges potion didn't work on you. He claims it points you to your true love. What a joke," Ginny said. "I'll stop harassing you now and don't worry, your secret is safe with us," Ginny said, gesturing across the whole group. Hermione rolled her eyes and Theo patted her shoulder in comfort.

She avoided blue bottles for the rest of the night and mostly hung out with Luna and Neville with Theo sporadically popping by. Ginny was dancing on a pool table with some fellow seventh years. Things were lively for a Thursday night, especially when they all had school the next day, no one seemed to care too much.

It was after midnight and Hermione could feel the room swaying, but in a pleasant way that pulsed in time with the music. She danced with Susan and a few people who she couldn't remember their names (not on the pool tables), then feeling tired, she slumped into a pile of cushion for a rest. The room started spinning around her. She sat up and found Theo sitting next to her with two bottles of water, she gladly accepted one.

"Theo," she said, "You're my friend, right? And you're Draco's friend?" She drank half the water. "Can you maybe not tell him about the Sirius thing please?" she said, finishing the rest of the water before it refilled itself.

"Your secret's sort of safe with me, but that doesn't mean I believe you. And. If it comes up, I'll tell Draco, so you should really just tell him," Theo said, bopping her on the nose. She moved a hand to swipe him away but with a very delayed reaction. Theo chuckled. "You're full of surprised Hermione."

"I'm not perfect, Theo, no one is. But I am drunk and hungry. Do you think the house-elves would make us pasties?" She said, suddenly very alert with the idea of food.

"I don't think we can make it to the kitchen, but our common room has frozen pizzas we could heat up."

"Yes, let's do that! We should get Draco!" she said, starting to look around for Draco, who she spotted still playing pool.

Theo went to get him. Hermione went to say goodbye to Ginny but found she was still dancing on the pool table. Instead, said goodbye to Neville, Luna and Dean before bouncing off to follow Theo and Draco out the door.

They sat in the common room eating pizza that was somehow cold in the middle and burnt on the outside. None of them bothered by it. Draco was just as drunk as Hermione after entering a drinking contest with the seventh year Slytherins he had been playing pool with. It seemed he couldn't say no to competition. They had all moved closer to soberness after the pizza and several glasses of water.

"Time for bed," Theo announced as they all reclined, half asleep in the puffiest sofa. Hermione's head rested on Draco's shoulder. She sat up and stretched.

"I agree. Come on Draco," she said, trying to pull his dead weight off the couch.

Theo laughed as he walked off. "Draco, when a lady indicates she wants you to go to bed with her, you should probably pay attention." Theo yelled over his shoulder.

Draco blinked, and in two seconds he was off the couch and following Hermione toward the stairs.

"Your room," she said without hesitating. They made their way to his room. Hermione felt exhausted but suddenly awake. She made herself at home in Draco's bed. He looked slightly stunned but followed suit, turning off the lights.

"Hermione, I'm not tired now," his voice sounded in the dark.

"Me neither," she replied. She felt a hand weave under the blankets to find her waist and pull her in. "Let's not go to sleep just yet," she said.

"I can think of a few other things we can do," Draco replied as she felt his warm breath on her cheek.

She knew neither of them would stop them this time.

* * *

**Authors note**\- Sorry about the fade to black, you can let your wonderful imaginations fill in the rest…

Thank you for the lovely comments from the last few chapters, I love hearing your thoughts and it makes me smile.

Have a nice week everyone 😊


	24. Chapter 24- A Potion of Moonlight

**Chapter Twenty Four**

**A Potion of Moonlight**

"So last night happened," Draco said, glancing at Hermione as he swung his legs over the side of the bed.

"I'm glad it did," Hermione said with a smile and a yawn. "Are you making me coffee?"

"Yes, and drink this." He rummaged in a box of vials and threw one across the room to Hermione. "It's a hangover potion."

He made two coffees and threw his Slytherin dressing gown to Hermione, who clearly had no idea where her clothes were. She wrapped herself in it and moved to sit cross-legged on the bed. There was no awkwardness between them, as Draco feared there might be. He sat next to her and sipped his coffee as if things had always been that way.

They discussed the plans for their potion trial scheduled that night. Caught up in their scheming they realised they were going to be late to breakfast. Hermione snuck back to her room to get ready for class.

For the first time ever, they decided to have breakfast together, it surprised Draco when she suggested it. Of course, he agreed, but guilt began to creep up on him. He had nothing to lose by being seen with her. Hermione, on the other hand, would be dragged down by their association. Still, it was just breakfast.

He beat Hermione to the common room, luckily, he only had to wait a minute and together they made their way to the Great Hall. They walked through the large entrance side by side and made their way to end of the Gryffindor table and sat down, both ignoring the glares from other students. Draco had never sat at a table other than Slytherin, people noticed. Thankfully, the other Gryffindors weren't there yet. Draco poured himself some tea to keep busy.

Eventually, Theo joined then, now a regular at the Gryffindor table, no one batted an eyelid. In dribs and drabs, the rest of Hermione's friends joined them, all looking terrible. Draco started feeling uncomfortable, though no one seemed to notice. They looked like a sorry bunch, all dreadfully hungover. Ginny was nibbling at the corner of some toast, Longbottom just staring at his plate of eggs. Luna, however, looked lively, she was humming while eating a giant plate of every type of breakfast food.

Draco handed Theo a hangover potion across the table, his last one. Theo bowed his hands and head as if praying to Draco in thanks, multiple times. The standard hangover potions were limited in relief. Draco's formula was far more effective, glad that Snape had shared it with him. He always brewed his own now and knew it was the best.

Theo poured the potion into his pumpkin juice and drank the lot. "Much better already, cheers Draco. And very nice, might I add, that you joined us all for breakfast." Theo gave him a knowing smile. Draco just shook his head and concentrated on his food. Hermione was clearly glad he was there and talked nonstop all the way through the meal. That was until the Weaslette spoke up.

Ginny glanced over at Hermione, giving up on nibbling her toast. "Why are you so alive this morning, Hermione? I gave my best effort last night in getting you drunk." Ginny frowned into her breakfast.

Hermione sipped her cup of tea, "Oh, you certainly succeeded in that, those blue shots were terrible. We should pass that on to George. I just had an exceptional sleep I guess," she said shrugging and flicking a glance at Draco.

"Oh and sorry about telling everyone about that thing with Sirius," Ginny said. "I mean—"

"Ginny, that's enough! Can we please not talk about that again, you don't need to tell the whole school," Hermione hissed, her face a bright shade of red. Draco wasn't sure if it was anger or embarrassment that warranted the sudden change. He watched her. Ginny went to speak again. Hermione leaned across the table and shoved a piece of bread in Ginny's mouth. "I mean it, Ginny. Not one more word." She pointed her finger in warning at Ginny.

Draco made a note to himself to ask her about that later. One way or another, he would find out. He sat back, drinking his second cup of tea. Hermione was avoiding eye contact with both himself and Theo, and Theo was trying to catch her eye. She remained focused on a piece of toast she coated in far too much jam.

He left breakfast with Hermione. All up he put breakfast as an uneventful success, he couldn't have asked for better. He glanced at the Slytherin table on his way out. Daggered looks shot at him from the length of the table, the worst of which was Pansy. Her eyes drilled into him, sure she would set fire to him at any minute as he felt her rage from across the room, he looked away, glad to walk out.

Somehow, they all made it through the day of classes. With nearly every student in a hungover state, it was a rather reserved day. The teachers seemed to enjoy it, catching out students where they could, doing unnecessary activities and asking harder than usual questions.

Draco was glad when the day was over. He met Hermione in the room near the hospital wing after dinner. Time for their next potion trial to start and he was confident it would be perfect this time. This round they needed to record how long it kept the symptoms at bay, they expected a few days to a week, until the subject gradually required less and less each time. That's what they were hoping for anyway.

Hermione was in the room when he arrived, setting up the same as last time. She went over all the devices with him and once again showed him how to work the diagnostic tool to measure the muscles spasms and nerve impulses.

He sat down on the bed, loosely clasping his fingers to rest on his lap. He was more relaxed than the first time. Hermione, on the other hand, was fidgeting and rearranging everything. The potion vial sat on the table, glowing and swirling as if dancing to its own music. She paused momentarily, once again ensnared by its captivating display of bottled moonlight (as she called it). She blinked several times before holding the vial in front of Draco.

"You needn't worry, this time will be fine. I'll be fine," Draco said, he watched as Hermione's face turned as unreadable as stone. She took a step back.

"You're right Draco. This time you will be fine," she said in a shaky voice. Draco studied her face, something wasn't right.

She took another step back and lifted the vial to her mouth. In one swift move she drank the entire bottle. Her fingers touched her parted lips. Draco sat stunned. He stared at her, did she just do that?

He moved to her side. "What have you done," he said, pulling her toward the bed, forcing her to sit. How could she do that? What was she thinking?

"We made that dose for me," he said. "You must be twenty kgs lighter than me, what were you thinking?" He rubbed his forehead. "We have to get to the hospital wing." His legs felt weak. He didn't know what to do.

"Relax it should be fine, the dosage between us would only slightly vary, not enough to cause an overdose," she said calmly. "Though I do admit, I didn't really think this through." She leaned back against the wall and drew in a long breath.

He wanted to yell at her, to throw something, how could she be so stupid? He paced the room, not looking her in the eye until he got his thoughts straight and calmed down.

But he didn't yell or scream, instead agreed to monitor her closely and only take her to the hospital wing in an emergency. Her level headedness won him over. But secretly he told himself he was in charge, he could decide if she needed to go to the hospital and he wasn't going to take any chances.

Other than having glassy eyes, Hermione appeared normal. Half an hour passed, and Draco began to relax, at least she hadn't vomited up the potion as he had with the last one, he felt confident in their calculations. He measured the impulses in her legs, it was working.

Theo popped in to see how they were going, they made sure he knew what they were doing this time. He seemed surprised to see Hermione as the patient but didn't comment. He simply sat down and joined their conversation. As time passed, Draco noticed Hermione contributing less and less to the discussion.

Every few seconds, she would slowly blink, each time her eyes stayed closed a little longer. Draco stopped talking and began checking her vitals. She opened her eyes to watch him.

"There are pixies on your shoulder Draco," she said.

He looked from one shoulder to the other seeing no pixies. He shot a worried look at Theo. His friend shook his head, there were no pixies. Draco's felt a heaviness in the pit of his stomach. Her eyes were as wide as saucers. Her measured heart rate shot up, and she was now waving her hands in front of her eyes, swatting something invisible and she was getting angry.

"Do you think we should go to the hospital wing?" Draco whispered to Theo. Hermione was trying to sit up, Draco had to stop her from falling sideways, moving her against the back wall, he propped pillows either side of her, keeping one hand on her shoulder.

"I dunno mate, up to you. Maybe better to be safe? The whole wizarding population will hate you if something happens to her—hate you even more I mean. Best not to risk it, I say. But she's your girlfriend, your call." Theo said.

The world girlfriend threw him. Is that what she was?

"I feel heavy Draco," she said as she keeled over on her side. Her eyes fluttered, her body went limp. A tightness squeezed inside his chest. No potion was worth risking her life. "Let's go, Theo," he said. He scooped her up in his arms and ran the short distance to the Hospital Wing, Theo close behind.

He was yelling for help as he pushed his way through the heavy doors. He reached the nearest bed and placed Hermione down. She was unconscious and starting to convulse. Madame Pomfrey appeared next to him. He didn't hear what she was saying. Theo was talking. All he could see was Hermione getting worse. Her body spasming in a violent seizure.

The Matron cast a spell that Draco had never heard of, it suspended Hermione in the air until the seizure stopped. Draco was in a daze, there was nothing he could do. He heard his name.

"Mr Malfoy. This is very important, you need to tell me what happened to her so I can help her." Madame Pomfrey said.

His brain clicked back into gear. "It was a potion. She took the potion meant for me. I think the moon-flower in it was too much for her. Or could have been a reaction to the dragons blood-valerian, or the—no it has to be the moon-flower." He was sure of it.

"Go pull that cord over there on the wall for me Mr Malfoy, hurry now. And the red one next to it too." Madame Pomfrey examined Hermione, running diagnostic spells over her as Draco pulled the cords.

The fire in the corner roared into life and out of the green flames stepped Professor McGonagall. She marched over to the bed, her ridged posture and pursed lips kept Draco from saying anything. She glared at both boys, obviously uneasy and suspicious of their presence with her prize student.

"Headmistress, we've informed St Mungo's of an emergency and will bring her straight through now." Madame Pomfrey said as she summoned a floating stretcher and levitated Hermione onto it as if she were made of nothing.

She continued talking as she walked toward the fire. "These boys say she ingested a potion. I'd like you to get the full story as quickly as possible, then join us at St Mungo's so we can inform the healers."

The Headmistress nodded in understanding. "Very well Poppy, get her through as fast as you can. See you shortly."

Before Draco could argue, Hermione had disappeared through the fire. A sudden coldness stuck his core, his body was numb, he had never felt so helpless in his life. He looked at Theo in disbelief.

The Headmistress watched him. "Mr Malfoy, are you quite alright? You didn't ingest this potion either did you."

He couldn't answer. The panic was welling up inside him and he didn't know what was wrong with him? He had never felt this defenceless, not when standing in front of the Dark Lord, not when tortured by his Aunt Bellatrix, not when threatened by his father.

Theo steered him back onto a chair. He slumped forward resting his face in his hands. Draco could hear Theo explaining the situation to McGonagall. He took a few deep breaths and tried to pull himself together. He started listening, Theo described as much as he felt the Headmistress needed to know.

Draco stood up quickly, both Theo and McGonagall looked up. "I need to get the potion ingredient list," he said firmly. "The healers will need it." He ran out of the hospital before she could say anything or stop him. He quickly got to the room and rummaged through Hermione's notes on the table, grabbed the list and raced back to the hospital wing. McGonagall was looking less than impressed.

"I'll take this through to St Mungo's now," he said, running towards the fireplace not waiting for permission. A flash of light hit him and found his feet stuck, his whole body frozen.

"Mr Malfoy!" McGonagall bellowed. "I will not have you rushing off without permission or reasonable explanation. Miss Granger's life may be at stake, and I will not risk it further by letting you run off without knowing your true intentions.

"I told you," he said, almost growling at her. "The healers will need this list."

She marched over to stand in front of him, releasing him from the spell but blocking the fireplace. "Did you do this to Ms Granger, did you intend to harm her?" McGonagall asked, her eyes boring into him.

Draco glowered at her. "I would never hurt her, don't you dare suggest I did that." His voice cracked. "The potion was meant for me to trial. Me. I never wanted her to take it. She took it out of my hands." He held his hands in the air helplessly. "I was meant to be the one who trialled it, no one would care if anything happened to me—everyone cares if something happens to her, everyone loves her. I won't let that happen. I would never forgive myself," he was yelling, unsure where to put his hands, his body vibrating with tension.

He felt Theo's hand on his shoulder. The contact calmed him, and he took a breath. "I need to get this list to the healers so they can check each ingredient, though I'm sure it's the moon-flower seeds, something isn't right with it—please," he begged.

The Headmistress held a hand to her chest and cleared her throat. "Please calm yourself, I was not accusing you. I believe your intentions are honourable Mr Malfoy. I will accompany you to St Mungo's now. Mr Nott please inform Professor Slughorn of the current situation and to await news via Patronus.

Theo nodded then squeezed Draco shoulder, "She'll be all right mate, don't worry. I'll come to find you as soon as I can." He slapped Draco on the back and hurried off. She gave the boys a funny look as if trying to work out a puzzle.

The Headmistress led them to the fire, called for St Mungo's and clasped Draco's arm winding it around her own. Before he knew it, they were spinning through the fire, passing various grates until all the fireplace exits were the hospital.

Somehow, she stepped out at the right one, dusted herself off and motioned for Draco to follow her to the reception desk.

A young witch greeted them cheerfully. Draco didn't notice any of the surroundings, his eyes wandering up the ward, trying to catch a glimpse of Hermione.

"Professor McGonagall and Draco Malfoy for Miss Hermione Granger please," McGonagall said to the young lady.

The receptionist looked at the stack of parchment of her desk and tapped the top of the pile. A few sheets down, a document flicked out, straight into her hand.

"The file has just updated Headmistress. I'm afraid she is with the Healer," she said in a calming voice. "Sez here she was unconscious when she arrived but since woke up and was aggressive and disoriented. They had to sedate her and now she's having the potion removed from her stomach. If you'll please wait over there, I can direct you to her room as soon as they are done."

Draco felt himself growl, then realising it was out loud he gave an apologetic look to both women.

"Thank you, dear. I have a list here the Healer may need, could you please see they receive it right away?" McGonagall said as she took the list out of Draco's hand. The receptionist took the paper and nodded, indicating they could go sit down.

The Headmistress led the way to a corner with a few comfortable chairs and a floating pot of tea with a selection of mismatched teacups. She sat down and indicated Draco should do the same. The teapot poured them each a cup, McGonagall thanked it and took a small sip. Draco ignored his tea and tapped his foot impatiently.

"Mr Malfoy—Draco. I'm getting the impression that the rumours floating around the school a while back were not just rumours. You seem to care for Miss Granger. I believe I have misread you. My apologies." She took another sip of her tea.

Taken back by the comment, he wasn't sure how to respond. He too took a sip of tea to fill the silence.

"She's my friend." Unsure if Hermione would appreciate him telling the Headmistress of all people about their relationship. "I care about her, but those rumours were just rumours," he said.

"I will allow you to stay here if you wish. However, I need to inform her family, so I am warning you now, if you wish to remain here." McGonagall said.

He nodded. "Who are you calling? Aren't her parents lost or something?" he said.

"I'll be contacting Harry Potter and Sirius Black, who both live with her. Then I will contact Mr and Mrs Weasley, they act as surrogate parents for many of the young ones who lost parents during the war."

He nodded again. He felt he could deal with them, glad they had all seen him with Hermione at least once. Hoping they wouldn't hex him on the spot. Sirius on the other hand, he was a wild card, and obviously very protective of Hermione, he could go either way, but with a much higher chance spontaneous hexing. He hoped Theo arrived by then, a bit of backup never hurt.

The Headmistress left him sitting alone as she went off down the hallway to send Patronuses to Hermione's friends. He sat resting with his arms on his knees, the teapot had taken to nudging his hand until he picked up the cup and took a sip. As Draco attempted to put the cup down, a man in white healer's robes came into the waiting area.

"Mr Malfoy, I take it?" he asked. No one else was in the room. The Healer didn't look like he was bearing bad news, but maybe he was used to it and always looked like that. Draco decided to remain hopeful.

"Yes, is Hermione all right? Can I see her now?" he asked, already getting up from his chair while fighting off the teapot.

"Yes, yes. No need to worry. That list you provided me with was most useful, we were able to eliminate most of the substances and their interactions. You were correct in identifying the moon-flower as the culprit. But let's not dally, come into her room, and we can speak further once she is settled and you have seen her."

Draco's mood instantly lightened, he followed the Healer feeling like he was made of air. She would be okay. Never had he been more relieved and chided himself for thinking the worst. Of course she would be okay, she was Hermione Granger. Though now he has seen what it could be like to lose her, he was not fond of the prospect.

The Healer hummed as they turned the corner to Hermione's room. Draco wasn't prepared for the sight before him as he entered the room.

"Don't be alarmed," the Healer said, Draco aware that his face had given away his shock. "She's quite alright, just needs a bit of rest. It's lucky you got her here so quickly. We've removed most of the potion from her system and given her activated charcoal and a strong restorative draught."

Madame Pomfrey who was sitting next to the bed got up and nodded to the Healer, saying she was going to find Professor McGonagall.

Hermione's skin appeared colourless, dark rings filled hollows beneath her eyes, and she seemed unnaturally still. Draco stood at the end of her bed. It hadn't been that long how did it happen so fast?

"I don't understand Healer—?"

"Healer Mackey, Poisons and Potions Healer at your service." He shook Draco's hand.

"Healer Mackey, the potion we created was very complex and shouldn't have done this to her. There is no way we got the wrong concentration of moon-flower, I can give you all our calculations," Draco said in defence.

"No one here is blaming you, although I'm afraid to say there will no doubt, be an investigation. There is a reason moon-flower seeds are a restricted substance," the Healer said, in a moment of seriousness.

Draco shifted his weight from one foot to the other, then stood up straight. Not wanting to show any signs of weakness or guilt. He was sure this wasn't their fault, although the potion was steering them down a road of trouble they couldn't turn back from.

"I think this may be an unusual situation," the Healer went on to explain. "You see moon-flower seeds develop higher potency as they age, meaning an older seed you would use less in a potion."

Draco resisted rolling his eyes, every idiot knew that. He let the Healer continue, knowing he was on thin ice as it was. Anyone on his side was a bonus, and he found he quite liked this Healer.

"I suspect the seeds you used were much older than you calculated for, despite whatever the seller told you," Healer Mackey said tilting his head to the side.

Draco thought for a moment. They had purchased the seeds illegally, and off the record. There was nothing stopping the shop from selling them dodgy old seeds they wanted to be rid of, and being on Knockturn Alley, having a conscience about what the seeds went into wouldn't be top priority. It's not like it could be traced back to them. Draco raked his fingers through his hair. Cursing himself for not thinking of such an important complication and checking.

"Fuck," he said, willing himself not to kick the closest object to him, Hermione's bed. "You're right. How could I be so stupid and trusting?" he said aloud. Father taught me better than that, he thought to himself. He was an ex-Death Eater, and he couldn't get a simple illegal ingredient buying right, and they had nearly been caught by Aurors! Twice, for one stupid thing, he almost got Hermione killed, and maybe arrested.

The Healer watched Draco. "I see that this was not intentional. I must admit when I saw your name in the report, I was sceptical, you haven't been painted in the brightest light by the media. Though I believe no ill will or nefarious purpose was intended here. If I may ask—what was the potion you were trying to create. I am familiar with all the ingredients though I admit the combination is new to me."

Draco could see the interest in the Healers eyes, he might as well use this chance to explain it. Especially if it was going to be taken from them, having one professional hear the details couldn't hurt.

"It's a potion to heal and remove all symptoms and after-effects, such as relapses, from victims of the Cruciatus Curse," Draco stated.

The Healer blinked a few times, then smiled, clearly impressed.

Draco smirked internally. "We believe it will work. This batch took an extra few weeks, so that's why the seeds were so stronger than our first trial."

The healer rubbed his chin. "Well, if what you say is true, that would be a remarkable discovery. A very advanced problem to tackle for ones so young."

"Yes well, we both were both highly motivated," Draco said, looking over at Hermione. "The last few years haven't been easy for either of us."

A softness showed in the Healers eyes that Draco wasn't prepared for. He didn't like people feeling sorry for him. Maybe he had said too much. He cleared his throat just as the door opened and Professor McGonagall swept into the room with Madame Pomfrey following close behind.

McGonagall looked over at Hermione then quickly focused on the Healer, "Is she going to be okay?" She asked, showing genuine concern.

"She'll be fine, I've already filled Draco in on all the details, but I'd be glad to go over it again with you. Poppy can fill in the bits I miss."

Draco dulled out their voices and wandered over to Hermione and sat in a chair close to the bed but didn't touch her. Her friends would all be turning up soon, he didn't want to make life harder on her when she woke up. He checked his watch realising he had no concept of the time that had passed, it was 10pm. He hoped Theo would arrive soon.

He sat for several minutes, watching her. It was as if she wasn't real—so still. Her skin a different shade than the Hermione he knew, and she never slept on her back like that, she always curled onto her side in a ball.

Footsteps grew closer to the door. Draco held his breath, willing it to be Theo. It wasn't. There was a long pause in time as the door slowly swung open, revealing the newcomer. In strode Sirius Black, clad in dragons hide boots and all black clothing. Draco hoped Hermione's self-proclaimed protector was in a listening mood as opposed to shoot first ask questions later disposition.

Sirius ignored everyone in the room and went straight over to Hermione. He leaned over the bed, examining her closely and picked up her hand, holding it in his own. Draco once again felt a noise building in his throat but caught it before making a sound. Surprised at how quickly he became jealous. Though with Sirius he felt he had a real reason to be.

McGonagall went over to Sirius, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "She'll be fine, she's just sleeping now," she said in a calming voice.

Sirius directed his gaze toward Draco. "This better not be your fault Malfoy," he said, obviously straining to keep his temper under control. Draco sat up straight and glared back at him, he didn't try to defend himself, after all, it was partially his fault. He remembered both Tonk's and Sirius's warnings on hurting him if anything happened to Hermione. At least only one of them was here, of his two cousins he suspected Tonks may cause him the most damage. Professor McGonagall stepped in before Draco had a chance to say anything.

"Do not blame Draco, Sirius. It was as much Ms Granger's fault as it was his." Sirius did not look at all impressed by this news. "It was due to a potion ingredient these two purchased somewhat illegally and had an unexpected effect in what we believe to be a correctly brewed, though also illegal potion. Since we do not have Miss Granger's side of the story, I would ask you to refrain from directing your anger at Mr Malfoy until their story is confirmed. He has fully cooperated with us, and we have no reason to believe he has lied."

"I'm sure a bit of Verituserum would clear that up," Sirius said harshly, still holding Hermione's hand.

Before anyone could say anything else, a wave of people flooded through the door. Mr and Mrs Weasley, and Potter. Seconds later, Theo and Ginny, to Draco's relief.

Draco stood up from his chair, opting for a standing position against the wall, closer to the exit. Theo joined him, Draco quickly filled him in on the details while the rest of the group listened to Professor McGonagall. The Healer gave a nod to Draco as he left the room with Madame Pomfrey.

The room seemed crowded. Draco wasn't sure if he should stay. At the same time, he didn't want to look like he was running away, and couldn't bring himself to leave Hermione there. She would look for him as soon as she woke up, and he wanted her to know he was still there. He would wait. It shouldn't be too long. He overheard the Healer saying they had given her something to counteract the sleep effects of the potion and sedative, at least she wouldn't sleep like he had the first time.

He could see the people glancing at him out of the corner of their eyes, itching to blame him. Before anyone had a chance, Hermione began moving. A twitch in her arm, then a turn of her head. Draco remained with Theo by the wall. The others crowded around the bed, Draco could see her face over the chair Ginny was sitting in.

Hermione blinked a few times and groaned. Draco wondered how she felt about all these people watching her sleep, what a strange situation to wake up to. She shuffled her shoulders then groggily looked around.

"Hey everyone—what's going on?" she said smiling, still half asleep.

"You're in St Mungo's dear," Mrs Weasley answered. "You had a bit of a potions accident." She patted her on the arm.

"Draco?" Hermione asked, trying to look around.

"Was it Malfoy that did this Hermione? You can tell us." Mrs Weasley said encouragingly.

"Mum!" Ginny exclaimed. "Malfoy wouldn't do anything to Hermione."

Theo made a loud, snorting sound out his nose. Draco, unsurprised by Mrs Weasley's comment, but surprised by Ginny's, folded his arms across his chest and rolled his eyes when Theo looked over at him. As much as Draco disliked the Weasley girl, she was earning points in his good book today. He noticed Professor McGonagall looking displeased.

Hermione half coughed, half-choked trying to answer, "Of course it wasn't Draco, don't be daft. Where is he?" Sirius stepped back less than enthusiastically so she could see Draco leaning against the wall.

There was no denying the relief and even joy in her eyes when she spotted him, she shot him a warm smile and held his eye long enough for others to shoot glances around the room at each other. He gave what he hoped was a reassuring nod, secretly glad she looked for him first. He cut the eye contact short and looked down at the floor. He could hear Harry not so subtly cough, then ask Hermione what she remembered.

With the help of Ginny, Hermione sat herself up in the bed and confirmed Draco's story by telling everyone what had happened. Halfway through, Ron burst into the room, he stood at the bed end, next to his Father. Hermione started the story again. Though Professor McGonagall was shaking her head disapprovingly through most of the telling, Draco couldn't help but think she was slightly proud of them. A sly smirk tweaked the corner of her mouth more than once.

In those moments of retelling their adventures, Draco knew they were both fucked, he saw the concern on Mr Weasley and Professor McGonagall faces. This would go to the Ministry. But there was still hope, they still had a chance for their potion to work. Maybe it would be worth it.

Hermione was the best person to tell their story, he noticed that she painted him in a particularly good light—not lies, but clear exaggerations. He certainly didn't see himself that way. She described their potion for the potential it had and the lives it could change. He could never have made it sound so good.

She looked exhausted but kept going, colour began creeping back into her skin making her look more like the Hermione he knew. By the time she finished explaining, everyone was quiet and shocked. Hermione looked like she needed to rest.

Most of them obviously didn't know the horrific extent of side effects from the Cruciatus and didn't know half of what Hermione suffered. Their looks towards Draco had also softened upon hearing his common interest with Hermione and apparently hadn't considered he might have experienced torture at the hands of Death Eaters like so many others. Ignorant fools. How did they think the Dark Lord treated his followers?

The Healer came back in during the last half of Hermione's story, though having heard it already, focused on attempting to swat a bug out of the room. A strange fellow, Draco decided he liked him. Once everything was cleared up, the Healer announced visiting hours were over and that Hermione would stay the night for observations. One person was allowed to stay with her. Of course, everyone in the room volunteered.

She gave Draco a questioning look, silently asking if he would stay while the others were lost in the discussion. He raised his eyebrows and gave her a look as if to say, 'it's your funeral.' He could tell she understood what he meant. Draco could see her thinking it over in the brief minute everyone took a chance to catch up.

"Can she do legilimency?" Theo asked, fascinated. "It looked like you two just had a telepathic conversation."

"No, Theo, I can't do that either," Draco answered.

"Don't lie to me Draco," he said, tapping Draco on the nose. Draco scowled and swotted his finger. He waited to hear who she would pick to stay, knowing it wouldn't be him if she knew what was good for her, but very much hoping it wouldn't be Sirius—in fact, anyone else would do.

"Okay, everyone out. You can come back in the morning during visiting hours." The Healer tried to herd the visitors towards the door.

Draco glanced over at Hermione, ready to be herded out with the crowd. Instead, she mouthed the words 'stay'. Her eyes were pleading him not to leave. He swallowed, sure she would pick someone else. The Headmistress was quietly talking to Hermione, she squeezed her hand then walked over to Draco and Theo.

"Mr Malfoy, Miss Granger has requested you stay. But I'm warning both of you now. This potion incident will be investigated, and I don't see a way out of this for either of you. So, enjoy this freedom, as it may be short-lived. I will not sugar coat this, the number of school rules, not to mention laws you have both broken are numerous, and there will be consequences. However, I will leave it for tonight and will speak with you both tomorrow. Mr Nott, you and Miss Weasley will accompany me to the school momentarily."

Draco took a deep breath and looked at Theo. They were screwed, but on the plus side, she picked him to stay the night.

"Have a good night, mate," Theo said, laughing. "Looks like it's all over for you two tomorrow."

"I love the optimism and support Theo," Draco said as he pushed himself off the wall. Without a goodbye, Theo gave him a big grin and a slap on the back before racing to catch Harry. To Draco's surprise he linked arms with Harry as they exited the room, Harry looked confused but then chuckled. Theo certainly had a way of making friends. Draco wondered when Theo had actually spent time with Potter, how did they even know each other?

The Weasleys were saying goodbye to Hermione. Draco moved to the chair near her bed. Ron glared at him, unimpressed by Draco's presence.

"Now dear, did you want one of us to stay? The Healer said you could have one person, but if you'd prefer not to, of course, that's fine too. Just let us know. We just want to make sure you're taken care of." Mrs Weasley said as she pulled a variety of objects out of her bag. It appeared to be a collection of toiletries and small snacks, similar to what you would get in a hotel.

Hermione wiggled into her pillow, looking uncomfortable. "Actually Mrs Weasley, Draco is going to stay," she said with conviction. Sirius scowled but said nothing. Mrs Weasley gave a disapproving look at Draco. Mr Weasley just smiled and gave a subtle nod to Draco.

"Over my dead body!" Ron yelled. "I'm not letting a Death Eater stay in this room with her!"

"It's not up to you, Ron," Hermione said. "You can leave now," she said bluntly.

Hermione looked disgusted by their reactions and folded her arms. Ron's face was bright red. Mrs Weasley tried to diffuse the situation. "Surely you want someone else to stay love. How about Sirius?" she said as if was only a slight step up from Draco.

Hermione blushed. "I'd like Draco to stay so we can discuss what went wrong with the potion and correct our calculations. They will take all our project work off us tomorrow, so now is the only time we can do this."

Everyone seemed convinced of her reasoning. She wanted to study, anyone who knew her would buy that story. Ron was fuming, Draco could see Mr Weasley had a firm grip on his son's arm. Draco gave Ron a satisfying smirk. Ron lunged across the room, his father quickly restrained him with the help of Sirius was dragged from the room. Sirius gave Draco a suspicious look with a hint of warning, before yelling goodbye to Hermione. Mrs Weasley trailed out of the room after them. Finally, they were alone.

* * *

Authors note- Happy Monday to everyone and to those of you who celebrated Thanksgiving last week happy Thanksgiving!

A bit of a longer chapter today, hope you enjoyed it. Have a lovely week friends :)


	25. Chapter 25- Lock Down

**Chapter Twenty Five**

**Lock down**

Tonks crashed through the hospital door and marched towards Hermione's bed waving the morning Prophet. The look of bubbling anger on Tonks's face turned to a wash of confusion as she spotted Hermione and Draco sitting on the bed playing a game of cards.

"Well, this isn't what I expected to see," Tonks said as she placed the newspaper down on top of their game. Hermione and Draco both looked up.

"What's up, Tonks?" Hermione asked. Placing her cards in a neat pile next to her. Draco threw his down as soon as he saw the front page and grabbed the paper before Hermione had a chance to read it.

"What the fuck," Draco said, his nostrils flared and his fists clenched around the newspaper.

Tonks held her hands in the air. "You see why I stormed in here." Tonks said.

"Tell me already," Hermione said, ready to rip the paper out of Draco's hands. She could feel her limbs getting jittery, news relating to any of them was never a good thing anymore.

"Fine, but you're not going to like it," Draco said, wearily handing her the paper showing the front page of the Friday special edition.

Hermione didn't even attempt to hold in a gasp as she read the headline.

_**Golden Girl Hermione Granger is fighting for her life in St Mungo**__**'s after an attempted murder by Death Eater Draco Malfoy.**_

_It was reported that late yesterday evening Miss Hermione Granger was admitted to the poisons ward at St Mungo__'s hospital after Death Eater, Draco Malfoy attempted to poison her via a potion they were making for a school project._

_It is unclear why the Head Mistress would allow Miss Granger to work in proximity to such a dangerous individual, many have questioned why he was allowed to return to the school at all. _

_All we know is that Miss Granger is paying the price for this severe lapse in judgement that has put many students at risk. There is no doubt that her boyfriend ex-Azkaban inmate, Sirius Black, will be hunting Draco Malfoy as we speak. Will it be Mr Black who reaches him first or the Aurors? _

_Buy our Friday special lunchtime edition to find out more._

Hermione felt sick. It had nothing to do with the potion or her recovery, she had been fine a minute ago. How could they make up such blatant lies, especially when Draco was trying so hard to redeem himself? This would put him back at square one with the Wizarding Community.

She looked up at him, surprised to see how calm he was. Tonks was looking guilty. Hermione patted the bed and shuffled over to make room for Tonks to sit down. They sat in a moment of stunned silence.

"You believed it," Draco said, looking at Tonks. "Everyone else will too." His voice laced with disappointment.

"I'm sorry Draco, I know I shouldn't listen to that stupid paper but it seemed like something that could happen. I'm sorry. But the truth is, none of us really know you." Tonks said. Draco nodded as if accepting the fact.

"I need to fix this," Hermione said as she attempted to escape the sheet she was tucked into. Both Tonks and Draco leaned over to hold her down.

"You aren't going anywhere Missy," Tonks said.

The door flew open, and Sirius marched in, also holding a paper. "Damn, looks like the Aurors beat me to it," he joked when he saw Tonks. "I see you have the morning paper. Hermione, Draco, glad to see you both un-murdered and un-murdering."

"Sirius, we need to fix this," Hermione said. "These two won't let me out of bed."

Sirius folded his arms. Clearly not in a helpful mood.

Draco kept a firm hold on her arm. "You haven't been cleared by the healer yet. And what was your plan anyway, walk out in public and announce that I didn't try to kill you? They'll say you're under the Imperius and hex me on the spot."

Hermione was fidgeting in the bed. Both Sirius and Tonks nodded. "He's right you know, you should both lie low until we can release some official statements. Maybe McGonagall should do it," Sirius said. "She'll be back here soon to take you two back to school, or possibly the dungeons knowing how much trouble you two might be in," he laughed.

Hermione cringed, she had been trying not to think about what awaited them at school. "I'd be quite happy in the dungeons, that's where our lab is," she said in a poor attempt at a retort.

"Well Draco, it seems you're turning our Hermione here into quite the Slytherin. Wanting to hang out in the dungeons. How odd," Sirius said, then took a quick side step, avoiding a paper cup that nearly hit him in the head. Hermione cursed and gave Sirius a sweet, fake smile.

Ignoring the glares Hermione was directing at Sirius, Tonks asked about what actually happened. Hermione went into detail, updating her on the previous day. Draco ignored them and began reading the paper. Sirius sat on the chair by the bed listening in.

Tonks seemed both surprised and impressed by the progress of their potions project. Hermione was starting to wonder why people were so surprised about their project. To her, it seemed like a necessity, the shocking part was no one had done this before.

"Well, now that we've cleared all that up, I better get to work and report that all is well," Tonks said. "Best of luck with the punishments you two." Hermione and Draco looked at one another, realisation dawned on Hermione. They were not getting out of this one.

* * *

Once Hermione was cleared by the healers, they were sent back to school. Something neither of them had been looking forward to. They followed Professor McGonagall straight to her office, where she left them with no explanation.

The Headmistress's usually comforting room seemed strangely oppressive. All those portraits staring down, Hermione felt like the eyes of a thousand past Headmasters were judging them. She shrank into the hard leather chair, well aware of Draco sitting up straight and confident next to her. She had to make a conscious effort not to reach out to him.

Hermione jumped at the sound of the door slamming. The Headmistress marched into the room, green robes billowing behind her. Hermione sat up a little straighter as the Professor made herself comfortable on the other side of the large desk. She let out a sigh and studied the two students sitting before her.

Hermione had never felt this uncomfortable in a Principal's office before, she felt like a child caught cheating on a test—of course she had never done that. She tried to control her breathing, waiting for the Headmistress to speak, her heart was racing, she hated unfilled silences but knew now was not the time to speak.

Eventually, the Headmistress let out another deep breath and shook her head slowly, "You two have no idea the grief you have caused me trying to keep you out of the hands of the Ministry. You know they are well within their rights to lock you up in the cells at the Aurors lockdown."  
She paused for a moment as she summoned a teapot and poured herself tea, she offered cups to Draco and Hermione, Hermione knew she couldn't hold a cup due to her shaking hands, Draco politely accepted one.

The Headmistress continued, "You broke at least eight laws—possession of restricted substances, use of restricted substances in unregistered potions, illegally developing a potion in an unmonitored setting, consuming an unregistered potion, causing harm to another from an unregistered potion, not following correct channels in potion trials, failing to register development of a new potion—I could go on. The rules and regulations are in place for a reason. And I am certain you two are fully aware of this and the potential consequences." She put down her teacup and looked them each in the eye, her gaze softened, perhaps upon seeing the terror in Hermione's face.

"But you have obviously weighed up the risks and knowing all this, for some unknown reason decided to proceed. Let us hope the Potion Masters do not find fault with this potion and this is, in fact, the miracle cure you claim to be. I am sorry to say, it is the only way you will get out of this."

Hermione and Draco both sat there in silence. For once in her life, she had no idea what to say. Her stomach was churning with guilt, she could feel tears threating as she stared straight ahead, willing herself not to cry. Thankfully Draco broke the tension.

"We did what we believed to be the right thing and I regret dragging Hermione into this, if it results in legal action against us, if there's a way to take full blame I'll do it. Though I don't regret making the potion, and I have full faith that it will work," he said.

"Well Mr Malfoy, I do appreciate your confidence in your work, and it will have to speak for itself, as for taking the blame, I am afraid you are both in this together. I have convinced the Aurors that you will remain in your respective dormitory rooms under house arrest. You will not speak to each other or attend any classes during this time. Not until the potion is examined, then an official hearing will take place. House elves will bring you food, and you may only leave your rooms to attend the bathroom. I pray to Merlin that your potion is what you say it is, and the sheer arrogant genius in the pair of you gets you out of this mess."

Hermione reached out for Draco's hand. He gave it a reassuring squeeze. They wouldn't be able to talk to each other, the thought of that scared her more than the fact that they couldn't attend classes.

"Isn't there something we can do? You can't just lock us up. We'll go crazy." Hermione said. "How long is this for?"

"However long they take to study your potion," Professor McGonagall answered.

"But that took us months to make!" Hermione's voice was getting louder, "Can't we explain it to them, I don't know. Do a presentation or something?" she said. She realised she was squeezing Draco's hand harder than she intended. She shot him an apologetic look.

The looks didn't go unnoticed by the Head Mistress. She raised her eyebrows at Hermione, looking down her nose over her glasses.

"No, they have all the information they need. They have taken all your materials, notes and potions from your lab. All you can do is wait and study for your Newts alone. Since neither of your parents are able to represent you in this matter, you will each assign a representative to be responsible for you. Please let me know who you select, and I shall inform the Ministry."

Without thinking, Hermione assigned Sirius as her representative. She knew he would stand up for her and people would actually listen to him. She looked over at Draco.

"Um—I don't have anyone," he said, lacking his characteristic confidence.

"What about Andromeda? I'm sure she'd vouch for you."

McGonagall gave her an unimpressed look as if she was already breaking the rules. She hadn't said they couldn't speak to each other now.

Draco nodded. "You could ask her," he said shrugging as if not believing anyone would choose his side. Hermione gave him a reassuring smile, their eye contact lingering. She found Professor McGonagall giving her a strange look again. Hermione set her gaze to the books on the shelf behind the Headmistress.

"Honestly, you two have put me in a right spot. I never thought two of the smartest students would cause me the most trouble. Now I expect you to stay in your respective rooms. I will know if you leave the eighth year dorms, so don't even try it, or you will be straight to the Aurors. Now off with you." She made shooing gestures. "I will let you know when I hear any information."

* * *

Hermione was sick of her room and everything in it. She had spent three days keeping her head down, studying and catching up on missed school work. She hadn't tried to sneak out and see Draco, though she had written to him using the Magnus quill. She had stuck to the rules.

She couldn't take it anymore. It couldn't hurt to go to the common room, could it? Professor McGonagall had said they specifically couldn't leave the 8th year dorms and of course she had been out of her room to use the bathroom and nothing ever happened. She needed someone to talk to, anyone. She put on jeans and a sweater and told Crookshanks she was going to the common room to make a cup of tea and sit by the fire. Crooks followed her out the door.

She cautiously stepped into the hallway and stood at the top of the stairs. So far, no alarms or restraints appeared. Stepping down one step, she paused—still nothing. Slowly she made her way down the stairs, expecting something to happen with every step. She made it to the bottom and let out her breath.

"Aren't you meant to be locked up?"

Hermione jumped at the unexpected voice. She saw Theo lounging across the longest couch with a book across his chest.

"Hi Theo, I was getting cabin fever—thought I'd take my chances out here. I think I'm allowed out here?" She looked around, waiting to see if something would happen.

"You are," Theo said, picking up his book.

"How would you know?" Hermione said. In her fluffy slippers, she padded over to the squishy armchair near Theo and curled up in it.

"Draco's been down here," Theo said casually.

"What! He never told me that," Hermione frowned. "That's not fair."

"He didn't want to get you in trouble I figured, either that or he doesn't want you around anymore."

Hermione threw a pillow at him. "You're a dick, Theo. So, what's been happening around here?"

Theo sat up, suddenly interested, he put his book aside. "Well several good rumours are going around. My personal favourite, is that Draco successfully murdered you, and the school is covering up your death."

Hermione rolled her eyes. Of course there was crazy gossip. At least she wasn't in the middle of it this time. Isolation had its benefits.

"A close second is that Sirius Black murdered Draco, and you're still recovering in hospital."

Hermione groaned.

"Number three is that you are Sirius got married and have gone on a hunt for Death Eaters as your honeymoon. And number four is more boring; apparently, you and Draco are in on a conspiracy to create a revolutionary potion to cure the debilitating effects of the Cruciatus Curse relapses."

Hermione raised her eyebrows at Theo.

"Just joking," he said, "I made that last one up."

Hermione groaned once more, "Don't people at this school have anything better to do than make up ridiculous stories," she said, getting up to make a cup of tea.

"Oh no, my dear, you misunderstand me." Theo said with a sly grin. "This isn't mere school gossip. That is legitimate printed news."

She put down the pot of tea, "You can't be serious?"

"Dead serious," he replied, looking amused. "Though I haven't had the heart to tell Draco."

She ran a hand through her unbrushed hair. "I need to fix this Theo, I can't have people thinking that about Draco, it isn't fair."

Theo scratched his chin. "I suggest waiting until you know what's happening with you two and that potion of yours, no point in trying to fix things if you both end up in Azkaban, then none of it really matters does it?"

Hermione's stomach dropped. It wouldn't really come to that, would it? She hadn't let herself think of the worst-case scenario, but it was getting all too real.

"But it isn't all that bad," Theo said. "McGonagall told the school what happened, so people here actually have the real events, though not everyone is choosing to believe it. She made it sound very boring."

Theo went on in his best impression of Professor McGonagall voice, "Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy had a complication with a complex potion they were brewing… blah blah blah… Mr Malfoy is not a Death Eater, nor did he try to kill Miss Granger…. Don't talk to the media… yada yada yada," Theo shuddered then shook out his hands and shoulders. "I think I really channelled McGonagall for a second there."

Hermione laughed, Theo really did know how to lighten the mood. "That's good—I guess," she said.

They sat there scheming on how they could get revenge on Rita Skeeter before getting more serious and discussing how they could clear Draco's name. The best option so far was to appear in public together, but she knew Draco wouldn't be happy about it and would open a whole new avenue of attention. Plus, they might not be going out in public again if their potion failed. She shuddered at the thought. They'd just have to wait and see what happened.


	26. Chapter 26- Confessions

**Chapter Twenty Six**

**Confessions**

The next night Hermione had had enough. All her schoolwork was done, and she had finished all the books she had on her nightstand. She hopped off her bed and wrapped her dressing gown around her before creeping to the door and opening it just a crack to peer down the dim hallway. No one was out there.

She walked the short way to Draco's green door and knocked, hoping he would still be awake.

"Fuck off, Theo." An irritated voice sounded from inside.

She knocked slightly louder and whispered into the door, trying to be quiet. "It's me."

She heard him crash off his bed. The door opened a crack. A suspicious eye peered out. Then the door flew open, and she was enveloped in a crushing hug. Something she would never have expected of Draco. He released her, then smiled and kissed her.

"I didn't think you missed me," she said, teasing.

"You have no idea. I just didn't want to be the one to get you in more trouble. You think McGonagall would know if we went in each other's rooms?" he said, sounding hopeful.

"Knowing her, yes. But I'm not sure she would do anything," Hermione said. "Should I come in?"

They both stood there for a moment thinking it through, Draco's hands resting on Hermione's hips. She could just step into Draco's room and see if anything happened. After all, she had been in the common room, and it was fine.

"Maybe we should just go to the common room," Draco said, "I don't want your friends blaming me for anything else going wrong."

"They don't blame you," Hermione said sincerely.

"They do— and I'm honestly scared of what Sirius would do to me. So let's play it safe."

Hermione giggled at the thought of Sirius going after Draco. "You know Sirius is scared of me, I wouldn't let anything happen to you," she patted his shoulder and grabbed his hand. "Come on."

They sat on the couch together, drinking hot chocolate. They talked over a plan of what they would say at the hearing, making sure their stories matched. They agreed not to mention where they got their ingredients and not to speak a word of the Auror Marker Curse.

With a solid plan in mind, Hermione smiled to herself as she rested her head on Draco's chest. They lay on the couch closest to the fire, which she widened, so they both fit comfortably. Draco had fallen asleep with Crookshanks curled in a ball on his stomach. Hermione told herself she would rest her eyes for five minutes before waking the two to go to bed.

* * *

Hermione woke to a horrible screeching voice. The warm body that was her pillow suddenly moved, she woke up quickly. She rubbed her eyes to see Pansy Parkinson glaring at Draco, clearly ready to start her screeching again. Pansy's face was red, one hand balled into a fist at her side the other holding her wand, raised at the couple, flicking between the two as if unsure who to hex first.

Rushing to find her wand under a pile of cushions, Hermione was glad to see Draco had beaten her to it.

"What the fuck Pansy," he said harshly, aiming his wand at her.

"This is what you've been doing! Fucking the mudblood? What would your parents say? How can you lower yourself to this? Are you doing this so she doesn't get you arrested? Is that what this is? Tell me Draco!" she shouted.

Without hesitation, Draco sent a flash of red light at Pansy. She instantly buckled over as if she was punched in the stomach. Draco climbed over Hermione and sat on the edge of the couch with his hand on her leg. Hermione, now with wand in hand, was ready to attack.

"Do not call her that ever again," Draco said in a menacing tone that reminded Hermione of the old Draco, the arrogant brat, the spoilt Death Eater.

Pansy got up off the floor, clearly shocked, but unharmed. Hermione flicked her head to see their dorm mates racing down the stairs.

"Shit," she whispered under her breath.

Draco was oblivious to anything around him. Hermione could see his white-knuckled fingers wrapped around his wand. His jaw clenched, eye locked on Pansy.

"For a while there I thought we had the old Draco back. Do you know how pleased I was when I read that you tried to kill that know-it-all bitch! How happy our families would be that you hadn't turned your back on them!" Pansy hissed. "Now look at you. Weak. Defending a mudblood to save your own sorry arse from joining your family. You should be ashamed."

Hermione could see Draco's hand shaking with rage, she saw clearly what would happen next. Out the corner of her eye, Hermione could see their dorm mates spread out in the background in defensive positions around the perimeter of the room. The war really had changed the way they all acted.

"I warned you not to call her that again," Draco said. "Cruc—"

Without thought, Hermione tackled him from the side, throwing him hard into the couch, she ripped his wand out of his hand and straddled him pinning his arms down, his face pressing into a cushion.

"You are not going to Azkaban for something as stupid as this," she whispered as she threw a stunning curse at Pansy who fell hard on the floor, knocked out cold. Theo ran over to help Hermione as she struggled to restrain Draco.

She waited for him to calm down. "You shouldn't have done that Draco," she said quietly. "You need to calm down and sit up."

He stopped trying to fight her. Neville, Hannah, Dean, Michael, Susan and for some reason Ginny moved in closer. Hannah and Susan checked on Pansy, the others sat or stood in various awkward positions. Hermione ignored them for the moment.

"You can let me up now," Draco said, muffled by his face pushed into the couch. The others in the room had their wands at the ready, clearly concerned for Hermione's safety.

"Hermione, be careful," she heard Neville warn from behind her.

She got off Draco and knelt next to him on the couch and pulled on his hand, helping him to sit up. He let her pull him in. He wrapped his arms around her and buried his face in her neck, she felt his warm breath.

"I'm sorry," he whispered so only she could hear.

She rubbed Draco's back waiting for his breathing to calm down to normal. She ignored the quiet mumbling of the other voices in the room. She looked up when Theo started talking loudly. "Okay, you can all stop gawking now, as you can see Draco and Hermione are both fine, not in the hospital, not in Azkaban."

"I already knew that," Ginny pipped up.

"But why are they hugging?" muttered Neville.

"Why are you even here, Ginny?" Hermione said. "And I can hug whoever I like Neville." She heard Draco give a snort of laughter as he released himself from underneath her hair. He seemed to have regained his composure.

"That she can," Draco said, putting his arm around Hermione's shoulders and pulling her in close next to him. _Okay, so we__'re doing this_. Hermione said to herself as her heart skipped a beat.

"And what are you doing here little Miss sleeping-her-way-through-our-common-room? Who is it now?" Draco said, first looking at Ginny, then at the boys in the room.

Neville blushed but shook his head. Dean and Michael both looked at each other confused. Theo stood there with his arms folded whistling and looking up at the ceiling. Draco raised his eyebrows at Theo then shook his head. "Forget I said anything, I take it back, don't want to know."

"This isn't about me," stammered Ginny. Then she gasped. "The magnetic punch! George! It was Malfoy, not Sirius! It all makes sense now."

Hermione felt her face go red, regretting telling Ginny about that day. Plus Ginny had been kind enough to tell everyone that night at the party, they all knew. Hermione refused to be humiliated.

"Yes, Ginny, it was Draco, and it was very embarrassing, so stop bringing it up!" Hermione said. Draco laughed. Everyone looked more relaxed, seeing Draco and Hermione both at ease.

"I was so sure it was Sirius, I mean after—"

"Ginny! Stop! We have been over this, and with all the same people who are here now so, please drop it." Hermione said, trying not to sound desperate but not sure it worked.

"Fine," Ginny folded her arms and sunk into an empty chair, looking sulky.

"Um— so what actually happened to you, Hermione? You know with the potion?" Neville asked cautiously. "I mean, it looks like Draco really didn't try to kill you, so that's good— I guess," he said, eyes darting toward Draco.

"The potion Draco and I were working on isn't exactly legal," she explained. Hannah and Susan exchanged glances, the others sat there blinking as if they didn't understand. Hermione went on, "You see, one of the ingredients we acquired was from a somewhat questionable source, and the seeds we used were more potent than we calculated and caused me to overdose."

"Also, Hermione decided to take the potion out of my hand as I tried to take it, and I should have been the one in hospital," Draco said.

"You called her Hermione," Neville said blankly.

"Yes, unlike some other people," he nodded towards unconscious Pansy on the floor. "I have changed my ways."

"Yes, he has," Hermione said. "So our potion got confiscated by the Aurors and is being investigated by the Potions Masters at St Mungo's to determine if it will work. If it does, we might be able to get out of this for helping the Wizard community after the war. But, if they deem it unsafe, or doesn't work, we will possibly be going to Azkaban."

It was the first time she had said it aloud, and it suddenly felt all too real. She swallowed and tried to appear as confident as Draco. "We broke more than eight laws in making the potion so there isn't much we can do if it turns out it's too dangerous."

Everyone was staring at Hermione and Draco in awe. "So tell us what the potion does already," Dean said, anticipation showing on his face.

"Oh right— well it's meant to cure the symptoms of relapses from the Cruciatus Curse. I have pretty severe attacks and a lot of daily problems, as does Draco, so we both had good motivation to get this to work."

"And it will work, and we won't be going to Azkaban, no way," Draco said firmly. Hermione got the impression he meant it, that it would work and there was no way he would ever be going to Azkaban. She squeezed his hand.

"So you two are actually together?" Ginny asked.

Hermione and Draco looked at each other, they were yet to have that conversation. Hermione shrugged, "I guess so?" Looking at Draco for confirmation.

He kissed the side of her head. "This puts me in a much better light than being your attempted murderer, though no one will believe it. Look at their faces," he said, gesturing to the group around them. "They don't believe it, and certainly don't look impressed. The media will have to do a one-eighty on their lies."

"I guess it's more favourable than the stories they've been spreading about Malfoy, most people kind of believe them," Neville said with an apologetic look.

"Don't worry, your potion will be perfect, and we can have a big party to celebrate and surprise the media with an engagement announcement of Granger and Malfoy. How brilliant would that be!" Theo said, squeezing himself into the armchair next to Ginny, who shot him a very dark look.

"It would be kind of funny," Ginny admitted as she was squished into the side of the chair. "Can you imagine how Ron would react!" The whole room cracked up laughing.

"Ron really hates you Malfoy," Dean said.

"Ah yes, I recall him being a bit of a prat that weekend at Hogsmeade when you made him think you were sleeping with Hermione," Theo said. Several of their friends were in the pub that day and nodded in agreement.

"That's right! I never did hex you for that." Hermione said, giving Draco an evil stare. "Ron was ready to kill you, not to mention the death stares he was giving you at the hospital the other day."

"Plus Sirius might kill you if something happens to Hermione. You've got some crazy ex's to deal with there Malfoy." Ginny added.

Malfoy gave Hermione a quizzical look at the mention of Sirius as an ex. She avoided meeting his eye. "Plus Tonks," she added. "She threatened Draco and said she would hunt him down if anything happened to me." She smiled innocently.

"There you go everyone, I'm pretty much dead if anything happens to Hermione, so you all have nothing to worry about," Draco said.

"Good enough for me," Theo said.

"Theo, you're meant to be on my side," Draco said.

"Don't worry mate, I've got your back," Theo said, leaning back in the chair, draping an arm over Ginny's shoulders, which she promptly removed.

"Well if Ron comes after me I'm going to tell him who's screwing his sister, that should take some of the heat off me," Draco replied.

Theo shot a stinging hex at Draco, who in turn shot a wave of aggressive bubbles in Theo's direction. The room was soon a mix of bizarre hexes. Everyone else joined in. Hermione put a stop to it once a flock of chickens somehow scattered across the room, creating chaos.

With that all over, everyone trailed off, leaving Draco and Hermione sitting there, still in their pyjamas.

"So what's this about Sirius being your ex?" Draco asked.

"He's not my ex, that's Ginny exaggerating again." She shuffled awkwardly in the chair.

"Fine, but there is something you're avoiding telling me about him that everyone else seems to know. I was meaning to ask you that day you took the potion, but you're nearly dying made me forget— until now."

"It's stupid really— this thing at Christmas where everyone got the wrong idea about the situation, and with that article in the paper everyone though me and Sirius were together, and I had a row with Mrs Weasley, and it all got out of hand."

"Just tell me," he said.

Hermione sighed and folded her legs under her. "I had a Cruciatus attack Christmas Eve, and Sirius helped me." She paused, "He slept in my bed, and the next morning, Mrs Weasley came to get me, and Sirius, for some reason opened the door, and it all went downhill from there. Mrs Weasley assumed we were sleeping together and was very rude about Sirius so I stood up for him and may have given her the wrong impression."

Draco did not look pleased. His lips were thin and tight, she could see he was trying hard to control his temper. Maybe this wasn't the best time to talk about this, he had already lost it once that morning. Hermione glanced over at Pansy, still lying unconscious on the floor. Someone had put a pillow under her head at least.

He didn't say anything. She went on, "So Christmas day a lot of people seemed mad at me, it was after the newspaper thing. It was kind of a shit day, but I got that info out of Tonks, so it wasn't all that bad…"

"So why didn't you just tell Mrs Weasley what happened? Wouldn't she have just believed you if you just said Sirius was just helping you, as you claim he was doing."

"It might have had something to do with the way Sirius answered the door and the way I reacted to Molly's insinuations. The look on her face, she was disgusted in me, and I didn't like the way she reacted to Sirius, it didn't matter what he was doing in my room she shouldn't have acted like that, and I gave her a piece of my mind."

"So what were you both wearing?" Draco said accusingly.

She didn't like where this was heading, Draco's face was back to his emotionless mask. Though she did pin him as the jealous type, this was ridiculous, they weren't even together then.

"Why do you even care? It's not like we were together then," Hermione said.

"I care because you gave me the impression that everything about you and Sirius was made up, but now I'm finding out otherwise so excuse me if I want to know the truth. I mean, come on Hermione, you still live with the guy. Shouldn't I at least know all the facts?"

He had a point. She had never lied but had definitely avoided this topic.

"Fine," she said, shrugging. "If you must know— Sirius was wearing pyjama pants, and I was in my underwear." Draco's eyes were growing darker. He'd been let down by so many people, betrayed, she felt like she was being added to his list.

"He looked after me numerous times over summer when I had attacks, I didn't care if he saw me like that."

Draco ran his hand through his hair, "So you're telling me you slept with him several times over summer?"

"Well—" she stuttered, again not liking where this was heading. "Yes," she said quietly.

"Did you have sex with him?" Draco asked.

Hermione could see him gripping his wand tightly. She swallowed. "Yes, but not since summer." She kept her head up and watched him breathing heavily out his nostrils, his hands were shaking, but he hadn't moved an inch.

"But we were never together, like a couple or anything. We were recovering from the war and needed each other, we helped each other," she said feeling like she was grasping at straws.

"I don't care about that. I don't care that you fucked him. I care about the fact that you didn't tell me— that you lied. You made me feel crazy for being jealous of him, for thinking something was there that wasn't. But I was right. The whole world was saying it, and I listened to you— I trusted you."

He stood up calmly. "You need to decide what you want, Hermione, because you can't have it both ways. Let me know when you do."

Hermione felt the tears welling up in her eyes, followed by a flush of hot anger. He was already at the stairs. "What the hell am I meant to do with Pansy," she yelled after him.

"Do whatever you like, I don't give a shit," he said without looking back.

She sat there in shock. _What just happened?_ She stared at Pansy's frozen snare, wondering why she was such a horrible person and to think, Draco was just like her once. _Was it really possible to change that much, or was he hiding his true nature?_ She didn't want to think about it.

Unsure what to do with Pansy, Hermione took the cowards way out. She performed a rennervate spell on Pansy before running up the stairs, not waiting for her to wake up. She raised every ward up on the bedroom that she could think of and threw herself onto her bed face first as she burst into tears.

She let it all out, finally sitting up to wipe her eyes, feeling like an idiot. She felt miserable and it was all because of Draco. No. It was all because of her. Because she was too much of a coward to tell him about Sirius earlier. He had the right to be mad at her.

Hermione made the decision then and there that she wouldn't come out again until the hearing. Future Hermione could deal with everything. Right now, she wanted to ignore the world and everyone in it.

* * *

Time crept by slowly and a week passed by as Hermione was left alone with her thoughts. It was Thursday night and all Hermione could think about was Draco hating her, the same feeling that had hung over her like a dark cloud all week. The silence of her room forced her to listen to her thoughts, thoughts she'd been pushing to the back of her mind too long.

As she sipped her chamomile tea, images of Draco paraded across her mind and she was faced with reality. The potion, her grades, finishing school, getting a job, none of that mattered if Draco wasn't there. She thought about what life without Draco would be like and didn't like the prospect.

Life had taken a very different direction recently, she no longer obsessed about grades and making the potion work. Now it was out of their hands she felt that whether it was them or someone else doing it, at least there was a chance of it getting made, it was out there in the world.

Draco had been nothing but nice to her for months, yes he was often his grumpy, snarky self but he had also saved her from a Lethifold, helped her stop taking dreamless sleep, got Crookshanks back, even gone to lunch at Grimmauld place. He was a much better person than people gave him credit for and deserved much better than how she had treated him.

Hermione put her tea down and stared blankly at the book she been trying to read. This was more than just a romantic fling or a bit of fun. She couldn't think of any future where him wasn't there and it was in that moment she realised she was in love with Draco Malfoy.

She smiled to herself. She supposed she had known it for a while, but never admitted it and it felt good. Like a weight being lifted off her shoulders.

His words echoed in her mind _You need to decide what you want, Hermione, because you can__'t have it both ways. Let me know when you do. _

She felt an icy pressure in her chest. He was waiting for her. She had to be the one to say something or do something. Their hearing was scheduled for the next day, Friday the 19th of February. She would talk to him tomorrow, hoping he was in a forgiving mood. She swallowed back her nerves, she should have fixed this sooner. Sleep didn't come to her at all that night.

* * *

Authors note: Hi everyone. Only three chapters to go! The last two will be posted Christmas day if you want to look out for them. I can't believe this is nearly finished!


	27. Chapter 27- The White Courtroom

**Chapter Twenty Seven**

**The White Courtroom**

Hermione stared at the white marble walls of the courtroom. She had hoped she would never be back there, but it was less than a year, and she found herself on the wrong side of the Ministry.

It was just a hearing she reminded herself, not a trial. They were only trying to do a good thing but going the wrong way about it, surely that counted for something. She knew all the laws, all the loopholes and had tried to predict what methods they would attempt to bring her and Draco down. She felt they had a strong defence and if necessary, she could bring her 'golden girl' heroism into it, she hoped it wouldn't come to that.

Professor McGonagall escorted Hermione and Draco to the Ministry via Floo and seated them in the courtroom ten minutes before the hearing was scheduled to start. Draco and Hermione hadn't spoken a word to each other in five days, not since their fight in the common room. They now sat two chairs apart. Hermione picked at her nails, looking behind her every few seconds to see when her friends arrived. It was meant to be a small, quick affair. She was expecting Harry to support her, and Sirius was coming as her representative. She hoped Draco had someone coming. He sat there, staring straight ahead at the blank walls. She hoped he was okay.

The next time Hermione glanced back, Harry entered the room. He made his way up the aisle, as soon as he was close enough, she stood up and flung her arms around him.

"Are you alright, Hermione?" he asked.

She nodded, afraid if she started talking, she would burst into tears. Harry awkwardly patted her on the back as she sat back down, Harry glared at Draco. Hermione snuck a glance to the side, he appeared to have gone back to old Draco mode. His face looked stony, she knew he had his occlumency shields up. To anyone from the outside they would see his facade of an ex-Death Eater, but she could see through it. She knew it was his way of dealing with the situation.

Harry had a concerned look on his face, she managed a weak smile in reassurance, she could tell Harry didn't buy it. Next, a bunch of what looked like scientists and healers walked in and took seats on the other side of the walkway. She was surprised at how many of them there were, she was under the impression this would be straight forward.

Next Professor McGonagall came back in, accompanied by Mr Weasley, Professor Slughorn, Sirius and Andromeda. Their footsteps echoed up the stone walkway. Mr Weasley and Professor Slughorn nodded in greeting and sat in the row of chairs one back. Andromeda greeted Hermione with a kiss and a hug as she walked passed, and to Hermione's relief took the seat next to Draco. Sirius followed, he kissed Hermione's cheek, and a gave her shoulder a reassuring squeeze before sitting on the empty chair next to her, beside Andromeda.

Hermione leaned forward to thank Andromeda for coming, she saw the scowl on Draco's face and the look of anger threatening to bubble over. She knew it was due to Sirius's arrival. She had to talk to him, not exactly the way she wanted to do it, but realised she had to do something now or he would sabotage their chance of freedom with his foul mood and jealousy.

She excused herself to Harry and Sirius and moved to sit next to Draco. He remained sitting up straight, staring forward. She tried to pull his hand into hers, but he sat like a block of ice, his hands frozen in place.

She shuffled closer to him so they weren't touching, but close enough she could whisper in his ear without anyone overhearing. She cast a silent _muffliato_ just to be safe.

"Draco, stop acting like a child, you're going to get us both locked up if this is your attitude for the trial," she hissed, deciding tough love was the way to get through to him. He continued to ignore her.

"Fine— I'll just talk. You are being a childish brat. I told you nothing is going on with Sirius and me, and there isn't, that's all in the past. But he's still my friend, and he's going to get us out of this mess, so you need to get hold of yourself! We _cannot_ go to Azkaban, do you hear me. Our whole future resting on this moment, so don't ruin this for us."

She saw a crack in his mask. His mouth twitched. He slowly turned to her and leaned in close so she could feel his breath on her cheek. "You will never lie to me again," he said.

A chill ran through her. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you everything, but I didn't lie," she hissed. She wasn't going to give in to his intimidation. "And if I ever catch you trying to _Crucio_ someone again you'll be more than sorry. Now snap out of it, we have to win this thing— together," she said, reaching out, gingerly placing her hand on top of his.

He turned his hand over and squeezed hers without changing his expression. It was all she needed to know he was still on her side. She quickly kissed his cheek. "And of course I choose you Draco, I love you," she whispered before rushing back to her seat, not waiting to see his reaction in case it broke her.

She had told him. Her heart was hammering in her chest and she felt like she might throw up. It wasn't romantic or sappy, maybe it was this level of pressure she needed to do it. But either way, she had said it and she had never felt so certain about anything in her life.

Staring forward with one leg crossed over the other, she tapped her foot, she could tell it was annoying Sirius but didn't stop. An important-looking wizard marched up the aisle and sat at the head chair, the heavy door slammed and made a series of mechanical locking sounds. Hermione looked around, thankfully there didn't seem to be any reporters present. Just a bunch of scientific-looking Wizards, a richly dressed Defence Wizard, and Hermione and Draco's few supporters.

The proceedings began by reading out all the violations of the law Hermione and Draco had committed, sixteen accounts in total. Upon hearing this, Hermione swallowed and tried her best to remain calm, looking straight forward at the white walls. She sat perfectly still, suddenly feeling light-headed, her dry mouth not letting her swallow.

An account of events was relayed to the room, along with the reading of Hermione and Draco's official reports on the potion and incident. Sirius spoke on behalf of both Hermione and Draco, paying compliment to both their character and maturity since the war, he also played up Hermione's role as the golden girl and made reference to Draco's change of sides and trying to restart his life. Sirius really knew how to work a crowd, Hermione was grateful.

Andromeda spoke after Sirius, giving a short but heartfelt speech about her feelings for Hermione and Draco and how they were both part of her family. She was glad Draco had Meda as an Aunt.

Then, one by one, the scientist wizards and healers each gave their account on their testing of the base potions Hermione and Draco created and the results from correctly following the procedure with safe moon-flower seeds. Their experiment had been replicated a number of times once their base potions were deemed correctly brewed. The wizards in the St Mungos potions lab had put a surprising amount of man-hours into the experiment. This gave Hermione hope, they weren't being written off as reckless idiots at least. Professor Slughorn sat there smiling and nodding as if he had something to do with it.

It was then, much to Hermione's surprise that the St Mungos Potions Master made his announcement. He straightened his robes and cleared his throat before announcing that their potion was not only correctly formulated, but was, in his opinion, a marvel of potioneering and could be a revolutionary tool in recovery for torture victims.

Hermione nearly bounced out of her seat upon hearing this. The potion actually works! She looked between Sirius and Harry beaming. She couldn't see Draco but imagined he looked the same as before. The room was filled with muttering and mumbling. Professor Slughorn gave Hermione a firm pat on the back from the row behind.

Once the Potions Master sat down, the focus of the room was drawn back to the Head Wizard. His black regal robes and imposing wizards hat demanded respect.

He cleared his throat. "These two young people, geniuses apparently—" he said wafting his hand in the air— "Have created a potion of remarkable skill, which looks as though it will have significant benefits to the greater Wizarding community. However— this does not excuse the fact that they broke sixteen of our laws," his gaze fell on Hermione. "Justice must be achieved."

With that comment Hermione felt her stomach drop, she swallowed, her mouth felt so dry. Of course they couldn't get out of it that easily.

"Would the accused please stand before me," he summoned them up to the front. Hermione could feel her knees shaking as she attempted to get out of her chair. She felt Draco's hand on her back as she stood up. She reached the aisle, and they walked side by side to the front. They stood tall in front of the room. Hermione imagined throwing up in front of the whole room, she stood as still as possible—as if that would prevent it.

He addressed Hermione directly. "Miss Hermione Granger, the actions you have taken during this incident have been taken into account along with those of your past efforts in the war. The sacrifices you made and the part you played assisting Harry Potter during the dark times put you in good standing with the Wizarding Community and the Ministry of Magic."

Hermione had an uneasy feeling about where this was going. He cleared his throat and scanned his eyes across the room, falling first on Draco, then back to Hermione. "Your word is acknowledged to be honest and truthful. Therefore, we are offering you a full pardon on all accounts _if—_you come forward now and tell us if Mr Draco Malfoy influenced you, cursed you or if you were in some way coerced."

Mumbling filled the room. Sirius yelled out in protest. Hermione didn't dare look around, she was trying to process what the Head Wizard was saying.

"If this is the case Mr Malfoy will be sentenced to take full responsibility and will be taken into custody of the Ministry. You may now respond." He looked down at Hermione over his glasses. The whole room was silent, all eyes focused on her.

She could feel herself shaking, this time from rage. How could they even think that?

She stared down the Head Wizard about to tell him where to shove his pardon when Draco grabbed her wrist, forcing her to turn and face him. The two courtroom guards stepped closer as if ready for Draco to go crazy and take him down. She glared at them as well.

"Hermione, you should take it. A full pardon, don't worry about what happens to me. I dragged you into this and this is your chance to get out." His voice forceful and determined. Though he was whispering, the room was so quiet she was sure everyone could hear.

She was shocked he even suggested it. "I'm not going to lie Draco and I'm not going to let you take all the blame, that's ridiculous. We're in this together." Now was the time to make it up to him. She grabbed his hand, gripping it tightly as if it would stop him throwing himself into Azkaban. Why the hell would he think she wanted that?

She shifted her gaze back to the Head Wizard, standing as tall as she could, crushing all the blood out of Draco's hand. "Draco did not coerce me, trick me or make me doing anything I didn't want to. We both made the potion and both take equal responsibility," she said loudly so everyone could hear.

The Head Wizard then addressed both of them. Not looking at all surprised or even interested in her declaration, she realised it had been a test, one she hopefully passed. "You are both very intelligent individuals, and I do not believe you conducted this experiment in ignorance of the potential consequences. However you took the risk, and fortunately for you, it has paid off. Your potion will help many people, and I believe yourselves included."

One person's clapping echoed around the room, she looked back to see Professor Slughorn standing up clapping alone, Professor McGonagall pulling at his robes to get him back in his seat.

The Head Wizard raised an eyebrow and continued, clearly not going to apologise to Draco for his accusations. "However— a just sentence has been decided for both of you."

Hermione could feel her arms shivering, she couldn't stop it, sure the whole room could feel it, see it. She bit her lip, not wanting to hear what was going to happen to her. She almost wished she could go back to the day when she was protesting using so many illegal ingredients in a potion, was this all worth it?

"You are to remain under probation, under the supervision of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry until the completion of your Newt level qualifications. You will _not_ leave the school grounds during this time. Upon completing your Newts, you will both report to the Potions Master at St Mungo's Hospital where you will complete a one-year unpaid community service program, working in the potions lab. You will assist in refining the potion and provide support in human trials."

Hermione felt a glow spread through her chest, they weren't going to Azkaban, their potion actually worked! She wanted to hug Draco in excitement but refrained from doing so. The courtroom was still silent and the Head Wizard's glare unsettled her.

"Because we need such strong minds in our task of rebuilding our World, you two are being given this severe warning. You are expected to be model citizens and will not be given second chances if you are brought before the Ministry again for any form of misdemeanour. Consider yourselves lucky, and well warned." He looked down his nose at them through his think rimmed glasses and gave them a final nod.

He then stood up, coughed and nodded to the fancily dressed Defence Wizard and Professor McGonagall before clapping his hands and announcing the proceedings finished. He vanished from his chair.

Happy mumbling broke out across the groups in the room. Hermione, unable to contain herself any longer flung herself at Draco. She felt his arms wrap around her. She broke away and grabbed his hands, jiggling them wildly. "Can you believe it Draco, our potion worked!"

He smiled at her excitement but remained as cool as ever, "Of course it worked," he said. "Go hug your friends, you need to bounce that energy off somewhere else."

"Admit it, you're as excited as I am inside," she said laughing, still holding his hands.

"Of course I am," he said, leaning down to kiss her. It was the most genuine kiss she had ever experienced. Everything Draco wasn't saying, everything he felt— she could feel in the kiss. She smiled up at him. He shooed her over to her friends. She bounced over to Harry and wrapped him in a tight hug.

"Can you believe it!" she said. Harry just laughed, caught up in her excitement.

"Of course we can love," Sirius said. "We all know how brilliant you are, now the world will too." He pulled her into a hug.

Andromeda went over to Draco to talk to the Potions Master. Professor McGonagall and Professor Slughorn came up to congratulate and remind Hermione how lucky they were, several people were not in full support of Draco getting away with it. Fortunately, it turned out the Head Wizard was an old friend of the Headmistress and a reasonable man— so she said.

Professor Slughorn, already claiming their glory as his own began making his way around the room telling anyone who would listen about his brilliant students. Mr Wealsey gave Hermione a quick congratulatory handshake before running back to work, she could tell he was genuinely pleased for them.

"So you and Draco are officially a couple?" Harry said, arms folded across his chest. Sirius was listening in.

"I don't know Harry, we had a fight and haven't talked all week," she said nervously glancing over at Draco.

I still can't get my head around you two, so opposite but you seem to be well-matched," Sirius said shaking his head. "So many options Hermione and you pick someone like him," he said it light-heartedly, but she knew there was another meaning.

"You stay out of my love life, Sirius Black. I won't have you ruining it, so no trying to make him jealous or insinuating comments about us. Got it?" she said nicely, but her wand poking into his chest showed her true meaning.

He put his hands up in defence. "Got it, love. I'm on my best behaviour." He crossed his heart and mock bowed. Hermione tilted her head with raised eyebrows, not quite believing him.

"The Daily Prophet is going to have a hard time back-peddling from their stories," Harry said.

"Yes, I have a plan for that. But right now I need to talk to these potion experts." She tried to flatten her hair slightly and went to join Draco.

* * *

The castle seemed darker and quieter than usual when they returned. Professor McGonagall gave them both a stern warning, but also hugged each of them before bidding them goodnight.

Draco and Hermione looked at each other and laughed. The strangeness of the situation overcame the silence they had been maintaining. Hermione had no idea where she stood with Draco anymore. The courtroom had been all excitement and forgiveness. But their trip back through the Ministry and to school, Draco hadn't said a word or looked in Hermione's direction. He was so hard to read.

They walked the dark hallways. Every noise caused Hermione to jump. She felt like she'd been living on thin ice the past few weeks and it was ready to crack and plunge her into its icy water below. The relief of their freedom hadn't quite set in, all she could think about was what Draco was thinking. Had he gone back to hating her? Had the courtroom just been an act to help them?

She stopped, frozen in place. She couldn't walk back into their dorms, not knowing the future.

"Hermione, are you okay?" Draco asked, turning once he realised she was no longer walking.

"Do you hate me? Was this all just an act?" she choked out the words.

He was silent. His eyes shadowed in black from the dark hallway. She suddenly wished they were somewhere warm and light. He took a step toward her. "Is that what you think? You think I could make all this up?"

She shrugged, folding her arms across her chest. "Honestly— I don't know what to think. I feel like I'm about to break and I can't take much more. Just be honest with me— please Draco."

"Hermione— I thought I made it clear. I want to be with you. I'm sorry I tried to curse Pansy, and I said all that stuff about Sirius, but I know what I want, and it's you. " He leaned in to kiss her but she turned her head and pulled away.

"You scare me sometimes, Draco. I see flashes of the old you, a Death Eater and I can't do this if you're going to switch between these two people." She avoided looking into his eyes.

"I can't help the past— it's a part of me. I'm trying my best here, and I don't want to be that person anymore— but I can't promise I'll always do the right thing or be a good person, that's not realistic." He ran a hand through his hair. "I can promise I will never hurt you."

Hermione burst into tears, finding herself collapsing into his arms that quickly encircled her. "I'm sorry Draco, this has been the worst week. I can't handle much more of it. I'm sorry I didn't tell you about Sirius. Can we just start again?"

He stroked her hair, "I think that might be a good idea. Stop crying— we should be celebrating here. Our potion worked, and we aren't going to Azkaban. Those seem like good reasons to celebrate. Plus we have work to do setting these rumours and newspapers straight."

She sniffed, half laughing, half crying, "This is ridiculous, you're right. Let's go celebrate, then tomorrow we can have breakfast together and see what everyone thinks of this." She said looking down at their fingers laced together.

Draco winced at the thought. Hand in hand, they walked back to their dorm, the hallways not seeming as dark as it had before.

* * *

Authors note- Thank you so much to everyone who has been following along with this story, thank you for the comments and encouragement. The last chapters will be up on Christmas day, which is Christmas eve for a lot of you.

For those of you on holiday breaks happy holidays! Hope you get lots of reading in :)


	28. Chapter 28- The Trouble with Newspapers

**Chapter Twenty Eight**

**The Trouble with Newspapers**

Hermione and Draco stepped out of the 8th year dorm together. Draco could hardly believe they'd made it through the day before and come out the other side unharmed. Sure, they were essentially prisoners in the castle and committed to a year of slave labour for the Ministry, but at least Hermione was talking to him again.

Their celebrations the previous night consisted of eating all the snacks both he and Hermione had stashed in their rooms and watching a marathon of some weird sitcom he didn't really understand about muggles— their lives seemed very strange. Having Hermione back was the highlight, her cat seemed to have started talking to him again as well.

So this was it, the moment they had agreed upon the night before. They were walking straight towards the Great Hall at peak breakfast time. He felt Hermione's fingers lace with his, she was squeezing his hand unnaturally hard. He remained calm, setting his face to unreadable. Hermione gave away her nervousness too easily, she was biting her lip and breathing too fast.

"Calm down, it doesn't matter what these people think of you, they're all idiots anyway." He tried to reassure her.

"I just hate people talking about me," Hermione said.

"We don't have to do this you know."

"I'm not ashamed of you Draco, and I don't want to hide, I want to be happy," she tilted her chin and pushed her shoulders back. "Come on."

She was walking much faster than usual, Draco had to pull her back to stop her from dragging him. He raised his eyebrows at her. "Just be normal, you remember normal right?"

"Ha ha. Fine. Let's do this."

Holding hands, they crossed the threshold to the Great Hall. The walk to the tables seems much farther than usual. The bustling scramble of hungry students froze in a blanket of silence. Everyone was staring at them. Draco heard Hermione take a sharp breath, he looked at her, and she smiled. They walked up the aisle between the long tables, making their way across the whole room toward the head of the Gryffindor table where Neville and Ginny sat.

Whispers and murmurs followed them with every echoing footstep. Neither of them looked around. Hissing sounds arose from the Slytherin table, followed by comments of disgust and shock from the younger Gryffindors. By the time they were halfway to their seats, the hall was in an uproar. People started openly yelling at the couple and loudly sharing their opinions.

They stuck to their course, both had known what to expect and agreed not to react. Draco could feel the rage building, he could so easily shut those idiots up— but for Hermione's sake, he wouldn't, not today.

Just as they reached their seats, the Head Mistress's voice bellowed across the hall with the strength of a howler. The students cowered, instantly silenced. "Enough! This ridiculous behaviour will end right this minute, and I will not hear another word of it, or all future Hogsmeade trips will be cancelled. This is your one and only warning. Stop behaving like savages!"

Hermione and Draco quickly sat down. McGonagall gave them a subtle nod and returned to her own breakfast.

"You two certainly know how to make an entrance," Ginny said, buttering her toast as if nothing happened. Neville looked shocked, or maybe he hadn't woken up yet— it was hard to tell with him.

"Yes, we thought a bit of drama would brighten everyone's morning," Draco said, helping himself to coffee and pouring one for Hermione who looked shell-shocked.

"I didn't think it would be that bad," she said quietly.

"Really? I was expecting much worse, perhaps some food throwing?" Draco shrugged.

"I hadn't even thought of that!" Hermione said, looking around suspiciously at anyone holding food.

"Relax," Draco said, putting an arm around her. "No one will pull anything now, not after McGonagall's threat. And look on the bright side, I can do this." He leaned in a kissed her on the cheek. She instantly brightened up.

"Ew, you two. Not at breakfast time please," Ginny said in disgust.

* * *

With their public announcement breakfast out of the way and no worse off for it, Hermione decided it was time to make a real public statement. There appeared to be an endless stream of unreliable hippogriff shit coming out of the Daily Prophet. She had gathered all the papers and gossip magazines from the previous two weeks and cut out every article relating to her, Draco, Sirius and Harry. Making a strong cup of coffee and piling a plate with chocolate digestives, she sat down, ready to start reading the headlines, not wanting to expose herself to all the dribble within;

_**Friday 12th February- special afternoon report**_

_Sirius Black spotted leaving St Mungo's- is this the start of his revenge?_

_**Saturday 13th February**_

_Miss Granger remains in critical condition_

_**Sunday Prophet- Sunday 14th February**_

_Draco Malfoy spotted in Bulgaria_

_**Daily Prophet- Monday 15th February**_

_Draco Malfoy spotted in Knockturn Alley_

What the hell? She knew he hadn't been in Bulgaria or Knockturn Alley.

_**Witch Weekly- Monday 15th February**_

_Sirius Black on a rampage to avenge his poisoned lover_

Hermione had a good giggle at that one. Did people actually believe any of this?

_**Quibbler- Tuesday 16th February**_

_Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy both well, and safely returned to Hogwarts_

She helped herself to another biscuit. At least Xenophillius had his head on straight, and Luna in his ear, she guessed.

_**Daily Prophet- Wednesday 17th**_

_The trail runs cold on Draco Malfoy_

_**Quibbler- Friday 19th**_

_Sirius Black spotted having tea with Harry Potter_

_A break in his supposed murderous rampage, or perhaps he just likes tea?_

_**Daily Prophet- Thursday 25th February**_

_Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy partners in crime?_

_Was the near-death experience of Hermione Granger a publicity stunt? _

_It was reported by a reliable source that Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy have both been in lockdown this past week after being caught creating a potion using illegal substances. They are now in the custody of the Ministry of Magic awaiting the decision of an official hearing to find out their punishment._

_Will it be Azkaban for the once Golden Girl? Locked up with the families of Death Eaters she fought so hard against. _

_**Daily Prophet special late edition- Thursday 25th February**_

_A procession of healers were seen leaving the hearing of Draco Malfoy and Hermione Granger. Though none would speak directly with the Daily Prophet, they appeared in good spirits, apparently happy with the outcome._

_Moments later, Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy left the courtroom together. Neither appeared under arrest, but this could have been a carefully planned ruse for the media. _

The cheek of that woman. She had zero information and still attempted to make Hermione look bad. She made a mental note to keep a bug-catching net handy in her handbag in the future. Her own statement would contain all the facts and put that bitch in her place. Hermione put her quill to parchment and began to write their official statement, ready to come out in the Friday Evening Prophet. Hopefully right in the middle of their celebration…

* * *

Draco followed Hermione warily through the door of Grimmauld Place. She was instantly pulled into hugs and cheers as soon as they entered. Draco slipped past the masses, wandering into various rooms, scoping out the quietest ones.

Balloons and celebratory bubbles filled every room in Grimmauld Place. Sirius and Ginny had managed to gather everyone Hermione knew to celebrate what they referred to as 'Hermione's escape from Azkaban party.' It was written on banners that were flying around the house not letting anyone catch them. Other banners read, 'Hermione and Draco masters of potions' and 'Granger and Malfoy's Marvellous Miracles of Medicine." George had obviously spelled them, judging by the way they were annoying people.

Draco found a drink and set himself up in the corner of the living room, happy to watch Hermione surrounded by this group of crazy people she seemed to like so much. They hadn't had time to explain to everyone what happened at their trial, so doing it on mass seemed like an easy option, and they hadn't really be given a choice about the party.

Hermione was excited about her article coming out in the paper, hopefully it would clear everything up in the media and get the true story across. Everyone had a few drinks when Ginny decided it was time to go to the kitchen to get everyone around the table, ready to wait for the newspapers to arrive.

They gathered up all the drinks, Kreature was wandering around handing out strange looking plates of snacks. Draco avoided them.

In a confusing flurry of flapping and flying papers, the kitchen was suddenly filled with owls. Papers were dropped all over the table. Harry set out a bowl of owl treats on the windowsill, then tossed some out the window to get rid of the less sensible owls. Mars delivered one paper directly to Hermione.

Draco watched from the other end of the room as she unrolled it and read the headline. Her face dropped, she did not look happy. In fact it looked like her hair was smoking, possibly about to catch fire.

"This is not the article I wrote!" Hermione said, shooting a concerned look at Draco who was sitting across the long kitchen at the far end of the table next to Theo. Several copies of the paper were going around the room. Ginny was grinning and set a read-aloud spell on her copy so George would stop reading over her shoulder;

_**The romance of a war Heroine and ex-Death Eater— how this lead to the creation of a miracle curse cure**_**. **

_Hermione Granger recently admitted to having a secret romance with Death Eater Draco Malfoy. Both Miss Granger and Mr Malfoy have led the media astray with stories of poisoning, attempted murder, arrests by the Ministry and manhunts led by jilted lovers. The truth, perhaps, is just as shocking. _

_The unlikely couple worked together in secret to develop a potion to put an end to relapses and after-effects caused by the Cruciatus Curse. This monumental task did not phase these young potioneers. Against multiple laws and school rules, the pair gathered a stockpile of illegally sourced restricted substances in which to begin their experimentation._

_Over six months, they worked on their secret project, while, at the same time, falling for one another. However, their love nearly came to a tragic end when Miss Granger consumed a trial version of the potion, almost causing her untimely death. Rapid treatment at St Mungo__'s saved the young woman's life, aided by the bedside vigil of Mr Malfoy, who never left her side. _

_This glitch in their plan exposed the true nature of their experimentation. The Ministry seized all materials relating to their illicit work and ordered the pair under house arrest— undertaken at Hogwarts School. Weeks later, investigations into the potion were complete, and a hearing took place. _

_The Head Wizard announced the potion did indeed work and was a work of mastery that would have a profound effect on the Wizarding Community in the aftermath of the War. They received benevolent sentences of probation for their remaining studies at Hogwarts in addition to each completing a one-year community service program aiding in the development and testing of the potion. _

_The young couple, still perhaps in the mindset of living in war times, boldly took on a project endangering their own lives and freedom. All for the good of helping the Wizarding Community and fighting back against the Dark Arts— this time in a different way. _

_Miss Granger is known for her important role during the War in working alongside the Chosen One, Harry Potter and bringing on the downfall of You-know-Who. Mr Malfoy is known as one of the youngest recruits as a Death Eater, for the attempted murder of Albus Dumbledore and the less known fact that he changed to the side of Light in the darkest hours of the War. _

_Is this enough to provide his redemption? Is his relationship with Miss Granger merely a ruse to buy his way back into the good graces of Wizarding society? I will let you decide for yourselves. _

_The daily prophet wishes the young couple the best of luck with their potion and their unconventional relationship. _

Draco looked around the room to gauge people reactions, preparing himself for backlash. They hadn't informed the broader circle of their relationship yet, the article was supposed to be about the potion.

Hermione glared at the paper. Ron looked like he wanted to be sick, Mrs Weasley had her hand over her heart as if in shock. Kingsley looked most taken back, and Lupin was glancing between the two of them in disbelief. Theo has the best reaction of the room— his eyes wide and both hands on his cheeks, repeating 'Oh my Gods' very loudly. Draco punched him in the shoulder.

George was chuckling to himself. Harry did not look surprised and sat there with his arms folded, looking unimpressed. Sirius was smirking as if in on an inside joke, his eyes looked colder than usual. Draco made a note to stay clear of him for a while. The other half of the room; Ginny, Dean, Luna, Neville, Professor McGonagall, Tonks and the others from their dorm looked less than surprised, some more amused than others.

"That is not what I wrote! That bitch twisted my words, even after I threated her— she dared to print this dribble!" Hermione said. Draco could see the anger radiating off her. Her face was redder than he had ever seen it, her fingers clawed into the table. Everyone in the room was watching the pair of them, some unsure if what they read was the truth and were trying to work it out, multiple sets of eyes flicking between both ends of the table. Hermione oblivious to it in her rage.

Draco pulled out his chair loudly in the now silent room and went to Hermione's side. He leaned down and whispered in her ear something the rest of the room wouldn't hear. She glanced up, now realising that everyone was looking at them and somehow flushed yet another shade of red.

"So it's true then?" Ron asked. "You and this ferret are actually together?"

Hermione glared at those with disapproving looks, Ron in particular. Draco had genuine concern she might attack Ron. He placed his hand lightly on her shoulder but in a way that he could stop her if needed.

"Yes Ronald, Draco and I are together, and if you, or anyone else has a problem with it— frankly I don't care. And don't you dare suggest I've been under the Imperius."

Ron shut his gaping mouth. She had both fists pressing into the tabletop. Draco could see her wand within reach and gently moved it off to the side, he put a hand over hers, and she relaxed, flattening out her palms.

She had been so excited about the article, and yet again he was ruining her life, he wondered if she would get sick of that one day. If she was with him, the Death Eater thing would never go away.

Draco cleared his throat, the room remained quiet. "As you might have guessed, our relationship was not the point of this article," he said. Mrs Weasley looked shocked at he referred to it as such, still unsure if it was true, she kept glancing at Hermione.

"The point was to celebrate that Hermione is a genius and our potion worked. Without her, it would never have been made."

Seeing that everyone was still listening and not looking like they wanted to murder him immediately, he went on. "Professor Snape assisted me in coming up with this potion recipe more than two years ago when we began seeing the damage the Cruciatus Curse was doing and how this would ruin peoples lives long term. I, myself suffer from after-effects of the curse, and as many of you know, I witnessed Hermione's torture by my Aunt Bellatrix." Several people cringed at the mention of her name.

"Hermione was the perfect person to make this potion work, I knew she likely suffered worse than others due to the severity in which Bellatrix delivered the curse, most victims of hers never survived." Hermione sat up straight upon hearing this, glancing at Neville.

"So you can blame me all you want for getting Hermione into all this trouble, but the reality is I couldn't have done it without her. She is the smartest person I know. She made this potion what it is, and you should all be proud of what she has achieved, regardless of the fact that she is dating a Death Eater."

The room was stunned. Though judging from the looks they actually seemed impressed and possibly accepting, if only for Hermione's sake— he really didn't care. Hermione linked her fingers with Draco's, he was sure she did it for everyone too see. Answering their questioning looks once and for all she leaned over and kissed him. Catching him off-guard he was even more aware of all the eyes on them. She smiled at him. Half the room looked wary, the other half—those who already knew about the couple were giggling and smiling, well on the way to being drunk.

"Hear, hear— well said Malfoy," George announced holding up his pint of beer. Everyone else followed suit. "To Hermione and her brilliant brains!" said George. Everyone took a swig of their drink. Before they could place the glasses down, George continued, "and to Malfoy. Perhaps the only person who can keep up with Hermione's brains." Half the room chuckled and raised their glasses in cheers. Ron did not. Draco felt a warm sensation spread through his chest—must have been the firewhiskey.

Hermione hugged Draco then unwrapped herself, happy tears creeping down her cheeks. She sat back in her chair and held up her glass in silent thanks to everyone before taking a small sip. Hermione sat there beaming— the newspaper forgotten.

She was happy, and frankly, that was all he cared about right now. Working on the potion together would be a nice challenge, dealing with Hermione's friends, that was something that scared Draco. Maybe he would be okay. As long as she was there beside him. He smiled back at her and sipped his whiskey.

"Aren't you glad we did my potion idea instead of the advanced wolfsbane?" he said, gloating just a little.

"We wouldn't have had all this drama, I'm sure. I'm not going to admit you're right Draco so get that look off your face. Everything worked out for the best— eventually— and I wouldn't have it any other way." She smiled at him. "But we're still doing the advanced wolfsbane. That's our next project." She said as if it were obvious they were doing another project.

Of course they were, he chuckled. He wouldn't have it any other way either. "Whatever you say Princess."


	29. Epilogue

**Epilogue **

**One Year Later**

Two vials of incandescent potion sat on the bedside table. Hermione watched as the silvery tendrils swirled into delicate spirals. She picked up the bottles, one she handed to Draco sitting in bed next to her, the other she grasped in her hand. All their work, all the risk and heartache condensed into this tiny vial.

She rested her head on Draco's shoulder, and took in a long breath. He smelled of their potion— of moon-flower seeds, earthy plants and moonstone powder— the smell of moonlight. She sat up and shuffled to lean against the headboard of the bed.

"You ready?" Draco asked, his eyes glowing in quiet excitement.

"Ready," she answered.

They removed the glass stoppers from the vials. He lightly clinked his against hers. "Bottoms up."

She lifted the vial to her lips and felt the chill of the silvery liquid run down her throat. Draco leaned over and kissed her, tasting of the same elixir. Hermione felt the grip of the _Cruciatus_ dissolve from her life. It was the beginning— finally, they would get a torture free, nightmare free sleep— a chance at a new life.

Sliding into the cosy sheets of their bed at Grimmauld Place, Hermione wrapped herself in Draco's arms. Crookshanks carefully stepped on the same spot on Hermione's arm with every foot before stretching his long body across both Hermione and Draco. The permanent headache, the muscle pain, the nausea and twitches in her legs, the months of suffering— dissolved.

The fear of the night was replaced by a calming light that flowed through her limbs. She knew Draco could feel the same thing.

She was nearly asleep when Draco tapped her shoulder. "By the way, I bribed Slughorn to make you my potions partner."

Her eyes shot open for a second. The potion was trying to pull her back to sleep. "I'll kill you tomorrow, Malfoy," she whispered, giving in to the potion.

A whisper in the dark, "No, you won't." She felt him lean over and kiss the side of her head.

As she slipped into slumber with the potion of moonlight working its way through her veins, Draco by her side, she smiled to herself. She had finally found her place in the world and it was alongside Draco making crazy revolutionary potions for a world of Wizards and Witches.

The End

* * *

Authors note-I put the last two chapters up at the same time so make sure you read both :)

Hermione Granger and the Potion of Moonlight was my first fanfiction and I've had a wonderful time writing it and sharing it with all of you. This took me nearly two years to finish, I have learnt so much about writing from this story.

I didn't plan for it to be this long but I'm happy and proud of the way it has turned out. I hoped you all enjoyed this story and I want to say thank you to those of you who supported me through comments, likes/ kudos. I'd also like to thank by husband and sister for beta reading some of the chapters for me. Especially my husband who isn't a Harry Potter fan or a reader but still read every single chapter and listened to by strange ramblings about plot holes and magical creatures xoxo.

I think I'm going to try write some shorter fics now, message me if you have suggestions on what you'd like to see in a fic that maybe you haven't seen before. I have a million ideas of my own but would love to hear what people want to read.

Have a great Christmas everyone and to those of you who are or aren't celebrating, happy reading!


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